


Even In The Shadows (The Bounty Hunter)

by ValkyrieNine



Series: Always Yours [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Bounty Hunters, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Alternate Universe - SuperCorp, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Declarations Of Love, Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Fluff, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Long, Love, Love Confessions, Love at First Sight, Romantic Fluff, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Burn Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor, Slow Dancing, SuperCorp, True Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2020-07-29 10:07:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 41,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ValkyrieNine/pseuds/ValkyrieNine
Summary: Summary:Kara Danvers worked for the U.S. Marshal service for over five years until her partner and fiancé Charlie was tragically murdered by Lex Luthor during a failed arrest attempt.Today, Kara works as a bounty hunter in California chasing down the most ruthless bail jumpers. Kara has a reputation for always bringing in her man. Her hand-to-hand combat skills are unrivaled and she is considered one of the best trackers in the U.S.Kara’s life spins out of control when her old boss from the Marshals, Cat Grant asks for her help tracking down Lex and Lillian Luthor who have been on a rampage of violence, destruction and kidnapping. Cat is at the end of her rope and she knows she needs the best tracker to find them.Kara reluctantly takes the assignment. Her first step in the investigation is to speak to Lena Luthor, the estranged daughter of Lionel and Lillian. Lena isn’t at all what Kara expects from the daughter of such vicious criminals. Lena and Kara do their best to navigate through their growing feelings and the danger of hunting down the vicious Luthor Crime Syndicate.





	1. Broken Crown

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MoxainLovesNox](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoxainLovesNox/gifts), [poupame](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poupame/gifts), [ArcAngeluS81](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcAngeluS81/gifts), [iamgoku](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamgoku/gifts), [Picmonster50](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Picmonster50/gifts), [DrowsyCapricorn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DrowsyCapricorn/gifts), [theaxmarksthespot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theaxmarksthespot/gifts), [Myshipissyncing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Myshipissyncing/gifts), [Jesse2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jesse2/gifts), [Illshipit](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Illshipit/gifts), [AgentReign_AvaLance](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgentReign_AvaLance/gifts), [Alliedstasis](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Alliedstasis), [SuperXenite](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperXenite/gifts), [Rehim](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rehim/gifts), [february28](https://archiveofourown.org/users/february28/gifts), [eriley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eriley/gifts), [mcgrathedits](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgrathedits/gifts), [HedaKomWakanda](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HedaKomWakanda/gifts), [Lenalou](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lenalou/gifts), [defygravity79](https://archiveofourown.org/users/defygravity79/gifts), [supergirl_swift](https://archiveofourown.org/users/supergirl_swift/gifts), [Polartiggy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Polartiggy/gifts), [SAJJBristo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SAJJBristo/gifts), [dm13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/dm13/gifts), [blueclyde](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueclyde/gifts), [Super__Gay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super__Gay/gifts), [gaykryptonian](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaykryptonian/gifts).

“SON OF A BITCH!”, Kara screamed holding her leg. “GET OUT HERE TONY! IF YOU COME OUT NOW I WILL TRY NOT TO BE PISSED ABOUT YOU SHOOTING ME IN THE LEG!”

“I’M GLAD I SHOT YOU. LEAVE ME ALONE YOU CRAZY BITCH!”, Tony shouted from behind the shed.

Kara tore the bottom of her flannel and wrapped it tight around her leg. It was only a graze but it still hurt like hell.

“See Tony, now you did it. We were having a respectful conversation and you had to start the name calling”, Kara said pulling a large knife out of her boot. She gripped the knife between her teeth and growled.

She pulled out her two smith and Wesson snub nose .45 caliber revolvers. She flipped on the laser sights and aimed both guns at the shed wall. She took her time. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. She closed her eyes and shut off her mind from all other external stimuli. She opened her eyes and fired both guns at the same time.

Tony howled out in pain.

“YOU SHOT ME! OH GOD. IT HURTS SO BAD!”

Kara smiled. She pulled the knife out of her mouth and slipped it back in her boot like she had hundreds of times before. Same old knife, same dirty, worn-in brown motorcycle boots. Kara walked around the the back of the shed and found Tony laying on the ground with two wounds in his knees.

He howled and groaned like a wild animal, bested by a hunter.

“AGHHHH!”, Tony managed to groan through his whimpers.

“Oh shut up Tony. You’re lucky. I was aiming for your testicles”, Kara said kicking his gun away and smiling devilishly.

Kara had so few opportunities to really smile these days. She felt like she hadn’t really smiled since her partner and fiancé Charlie had died. She primarily operated somewhere between angry, drunk and super angry. Being a bounty hunter, or as Kara and her fellow bounty hunters insisted, a “Fugitive Recovery Agent”, required a a mournful stoicism and an unquenchable desire to track, attack and bring back the scumbags bail jumpers that decided they were above the law.

Kara leaned over and tore a good chunk of Tony’s already tattered shirt off of him and wrapped both of his wounds.

“Were you really aiming for my nuts?”, Tony asked shaken.

“How else was I supposed to get your attention Tony? I should have shot it all off, considering you can't respect when a woman says “no” she means “fucking NO”.

“Are you taking me to the hospital?”

“Nah. You'll live. I'm taking you back to prison Tony and I will make sure to spread the word that you've become quite the cuddler while you've been on the run. I'm sure that will make you very popular in the penitentiary.”

Tony howled in agony.

“Come on Tony, time to go. If you’re a good boy and don’t bleed too much in my backseat I might give you an aspirin or two to chew on.”

Kara leaned down and grabbed the back of Tony’s shirt. Kara expertly dragged his meaty 230 pound body back to her jet black Suburban and shoved him into the back seat. Kara was deceptively strong for her size. Years of training and dragging unwilling fugitives back to jail had given her a rugged strength that made her a formidable opponent in any fight.

Kara had a special seat cover made for this very reason. Runaway fugitives were always getting themselves injured when Kara was around and her car was one of the only things in her life she wanted pristine and new. It was a stark contrast to her worn in brown suede jacket, old tattered flannels and jeans and her trusty brown boots.

Kara looked like a throwback to the old days when the appellation “Bounty Hunter” didn’t have such a negative association.

Kara climbed into the front seat and put on her sunglasses. She pulled out her cell and sent a text to the office.

_Tony the Rapist is in custody. Coming home._

Kara pulled away from the curb and her cell began to ring. She picked it up via the Bluetooth.

“Danvers”, Kara said flatly.

“Kara?”, the caller asked.

“Cat?”, Kara asked genuinely surprised.

“Hi Kara. How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you? It’s been a long time.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner.”

“You’re Chief Deputy now and you’re in line for US Marshal. I can understand why you might be too busy to chit chat with washed out ex-Marshals.”

“Kara, you were not washed out. You were single-handedly the best tracker I have ever employed, hell, the best tracker I’ve ever known.”

“Is everything okay Cat?”

“No. I need your help.”

“Anything.”

“I need your help tracking some fugitives. They are alluding us at every turn. They are very smart, cunning and appear to have unlimited resources. I’m not sure how to stop them. I just need you to do a location search. No apprehension necessary. I just need you to find them, stay on them discreetly and report back.”

“Who are we talking about Cat?”

“The Luthors. Lex and Lillian to be exact.”

Kara felt a tightness in her chest. She pulled over on a dirt road. Tony was in the back whimpering about his wounds.

“Oh shut up Tony. Think quietly about what you’ve done and pray for forgiveness you rapist piece of crap”, Kara yelled into the backseat.

“Same old Kara”, Cat said through the speaker.

“Cat…you know I can’t. This is way too personal. You said that to me when I went after Lex the first time. Lex is why Charlie is dead. He killed her. If that bastard hadn’t shot her during his escape, I would be a happily married woman right now.”

“I know this is going to sound terrible and please don’t hate me Kara…but I kind of need the fire that’s inside you. I don’t want you killing Lex. You don’t have full authority under the Marshal star but I am granting you limited special powers under 28.019 to act as a Special Deputy Marshal. The Attorney General has approved the designation due to the extreme threat the Luthor Crime Syndicate poses. She also remembers you from your Marshal days and she was always so fond of you. The designation of Special Deputy Marshal means is if you have to do something, I will protect you within reason. That doesn’t mean that I will sanction a bloodbath. I am just saying that I know the Luthors and they are incredibly vicious. If they come at you, you can bring them down for good.”

“Cat, I’m a…”, Kara started.

“Yeah Kara, I know you’re a bounty hunter”, Cat said.

“We prefer Fugitive Recover Agent”, Kara said.

“You bring in bad guys for money Kara. It’s as close to being a Deputy Marshall as you can get. I understand why you do it but don’t you want more than picking up the garbage off the streets?”

“The Luthors”, Kara said staring off into the distance.

“Kara, we need you. I need you. I know I was always very hard on you, but I always appreciated how amazing you were. You were the best Deputy I have ever worked with. I need you.”

“Yeah, instead of calling me Danvers, you used to call me Danson. That used to drive me nuts.”

“Playful games Danvers. I respect the hell out of you and I know if anyone can bring in the Luthors it’s you. Please. Do me this favor and I will forever be in your debt.”

“Fine. What do we have on them?”

“I’ll send everything over. You might want to start with Lionel’s estranged daughter, Lena Luthor. She doesn’t appear to have a connection to the family. She is some big Media mogul.”

“You sound like you doubt she is estranged.”

“I do. She has a ton of money and power. It would be easy for her to look all sweet and innocent, but really be funding her family’s enterprises. I think she has got to have a connection to them. She looks too smug. I’m sure you’ve seen her.”

“Doubtful. I try to steer clear from most media. I am at my happiest when I don’t have to deal with bad things happening to other people, which means I avoid the news entirely.”

“Go pay Lena Luthor a visit and see if she is on the up and up or if you think she is part of the Luthor cesspool. If she’s dirty, she might lead us to her family. I don’t buy that holier than thou bit. She’s hiding something.”

“I agree. If her last name is Luthor, she is probably scum just like Lex.”

“I’ll send over a dossier with the information we know and your temporary star. Kara, please remember to use it responsibly. I am putting my neck on the line for you because I know you will get the job done.”

“Don’t worry Cat. I will track and sit. I won’t engage them. If I engage Lex Luthor, I will tear him apart limb from limb.”

Tony moaned and groaned.

“Cat, I need to take some garbage to the dump. Send over the dossier and I’ll call you as soon as I’ve spoken to Lena Luthor.”

“Thanks Danson”, Cat said playfully.

“Bye Cat”, Kara said with a little smile.

“Kara, all joking aside, be safe.”

“I will.”

Kara ended the call and looked back at Tony. He looked absolutely miserable.

“Okay Tony, time to go to prison and play the dating game. You look like you’re in a lot of pain. Kind of like those women you raped. Ah hell, let’s take the long way to the prison!”, Kara said with a hearty chuckle.

Tony moaned in agony.

Kara pulled away from the curb and drove down the highway. She wondered if Cat was right. She wondered if Lena Luthor was as vicious and cruel as Lex and Lillian. She wasn’t looking forward to looking into another set of Luthor eyes but she knew what had to be done.


	2. Head Full Of Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara heads back to the office and is greeted warmly by her assistant Nia Nal. Kara arranges to meet Lena Luthor at her office and finds she isn’t at all what she expects.

“You look terrible”, Nia said handing Kara a cup of coffee.

Kara gave Nia a kiss on the cheek and took the steaming cup from her hand. She took a sip and let out a deep sigh.

“Careful, if you’re too sweet to me, I’ll have to give you a raise”, Kara said playfully tapping her nose.

Kara made her way into her office. Nia smiled sweetly and followed closely behind.

“I see Tony the Rapist went peacefully”, Nia said with a sweet smile.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that”, Kara said pulling out her guns and placing them on the desk. “Stupid jackhole shot me in the leg”, Kara said lifting her leg up onto a stack of old case files and pointing to the bloodstain. She gritted her teeth and gave Nia a reassuring smile.

“Kara! Why didn’t you lead with that? Let me see.”

“It’s fine Nia…really. It's just a scratch. I just need to get off of it and get some rest.”

“Go home. Why did you even come into the office?”

“To see you. I missed your face and your coffee”, Kara said with a big Cheshire Cat grin. “Hey, did a package come for me?”

“Yep. I put it in your desk drawer. I figured it might be confidential since it was from the U.S. Marshal Service.”

“Thank you.”

“What’s in the package if you don’t mind me asking?”

“You know I have no secrets from you sweetie”, Kara said with a warm grin. “My old boss from the Marshals called me when I was dragging good old Tony back to prison. She wanted to ask a favor.”

“What kind of favor?”, Nia asked trying to inspect Kara’s leg.

“I suspect the kind of favor that means trouble. I’m definitely going to need your help on this one.”

“Of course. You know I’m always by your side”, Nia said happily.

Kara looked at Nia and smiled. She and Nia had been through so much together and Nia was definitely by her side every step of the way without fail.

Kara let her thoughts drift back to the day she met Nia. She was sitting in a booth at a coffee shop trying to nurse a terrible hangover. She looked up and saw a beautiful young woman crying. Kara didn’t know why the girl was so upset but she had to check on her. She had to make sure no one had wronged her.

Kara shut down her normally gruff exterior and approached Nia with kindness and a soft smile.

“Excuse me…I don’t want to intrude, but I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I couldn’t help but notice you crying from across the room.

Nia tried to calm herself down. She grabbed the napkin from the place setting sitting on the table and wiped away her tears.

“I’m…I’m okay. Thank you so much for checking on me. It was very sweet.”

“Do you mind if I take a seat?”, Kara asked. “I hate eating alone.”

“Not at all”, Nia said with a little smile. “I hate eating alone too.”

Kara sat down in the booth across from Nia.

“You don’t have to explain anything. We can have a nice meal and chit chat, but do you want to tell me what happened to upset you so much?”

“I thought I had found my dream job. I was working as a fixer for a company down the street. It was new and exciting and I was good at my job. Anything that came up I was able to handle. My boss loved what I was doing and he was impressed with the fires I was putting out.”

“That all sounds great. Why are you crying?”

“My boss fired me today. He found out I was transgender and fired me on the spot. He called me a freak and said that I misrepresented who I was. It was incredibly cruel. Now I have no job and I feel like a pariah.”

Kara’s heart broke. She leaned over and put a hand on Nia’s hand.

“I can do two things for you. First, I can hire you and promise you that no matter what I will always respect you and treat you with kindness. You deserve a job where you know your boss will love and support you. I can’t pay a lot, but you will have a share of everything I earn. Second, I promise you that one day I will find that scumbag and hurt him the way he hurt you.”

Nia looked at Kara and smiled through her tears. Kara grabbed Nia’s hand and held it tight. She gave her a warm grin. Nia began to weep again.

“Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?”, Kara asked.

Nia smiled sweetly.

“I’m just so touched. You don’t know me. Why are you being so kind?”

“When I see a beautiful woman in distress, I have to help. It’s kinda my thing”, Kara said with a wink. “My name is Kara Danvers”, Kara said with a smile.

“Nia…Nia Nal”, Nia said in utter disbelief. “Are you this nice to everyone.”

“Hell no. Here’s the thing Nia…I will probably be nicer to you than anyone else. If you can deal with me being a cranky, drunk, violent jerk to the rest of the world, I think you and I will get along great.”

Nia got up and sat next to Kara in the booth. She threw her arms around Kara and hugged her tight.

“I can definitely live with that”, Nia said cheerfully.

“So, what is it you do? What is this job your offering me?”, Nia asked.

“Do you know what a Fugitive Recovery Agent is?”

“Nope.”

“How about a bounty hunter?”

“You’re a bounty hunter? That is so cool”, Nia said with delight.

“I am and your job would be keeping my cranky, drunk ass out of trouble wherever and whenever you can. I’m a total mess and a handful, to say the least. Feel free to turn the job offer down, but the job is yours if you want it”, Kara said waving the waitress over.

“I happily accept”, Nia said with bright eyes and a cheerful grin.

“What’s your boss’s name?”, Kara asked.

“Snapper Carr”, Nia said a little sickened.

“Just know that one day Snapper Carr will pay,”

Kara kept her promise.

Kara found Snapper a couple weeks later in a brothel near Las Vegas. Kara walked into the brothel and paid all of the ladies to vacate the premises. She walked in on Snapper role playing with a companion. Snapper was on all fours and dressed in pantyhose and wearing an ill-fitting bodice. Kara took dozens of pictures. Snapper protested, but one flash of Kara’s guns shut him up quickly. Kara motioned for his companion to leave.

The minute she was gone Kara walked over to Snapper and knocked him off the bed. He fell hard and screamed out. Kara pressed her boot firmly to his chest and dug in her heel.

Kara looked down into Snapper’s eyes.

“Nia Nal is a beautiful woman Snapper, not a freak. I think you’re the freak. I’m sure your board of directors will think so as well.”

Kara kicked him hard in the face and rolled him over onto his stomach. She put her boot on his back and spit on him. She reached for the knife in her boot and pulled it out of its sheath.

“You know, Nia has been a really great asset. She is helping me work on my anger issues. I think I’m improving daily. You see, the old me would have beaten you to within an inch of your life and sent these pictures to your board of directors. Instead, I’m going to pay those ladies out there to play piñata with you and leave you in the desert. The pictures are still getting sent, your career is over.”

“But…but…I have a wife”, Snapper said with a whimper.

“Really? You seem very loyal”, Kara said sarcastically.

“Any kids?”

“No. She wanted kids but I said no.”

“Jesus Snapper, just when I thought we were staring to understand each other you go and give me another reason to hate your guts.”

Snapper tried to move. Kara pressed her boot into his back more firmly.

“You’re going to live Snapper, but I just want to point out that I am armed to the teeth, I have a terrible temper and I happen to think that Nia is a lovely human being. One day she will settle down with a good man, have a great family and you will die alone.”

“Die alone?”

“Oh yeah…these pictures are going to your wife too. You don’t think I would leave her out of this, do you?”

“Don’t you dare you bitch”, Snapper said angrily.

“Listen Snappy, you don’t know me so I will assume you don’t know how that word sets me off, but I am going to show you exactly how bad things can get for one, bald, fat, sweaty, little weasel of a man.”

Kara lifted her foot and let Snapper go. He rolled over and tried to crawl towards the door. Kara smiled and walked calmly behind him.

The women who vacated the brothel couldn’t help but laugh a little when they heard Snapper screaming and whimpering. He was one of their most abusive and disgusting regulars. He was constantly demanding degrading things from his companions and they all loathed his visits.

They were beside themselves with laughter when they saw him running across the Nevada desert buck ass naked and hopping around like a jackrabbit as Kara fired bullets at his feet.

So, now Nia stood in Kara’s office almost three years later and their relationship was more familial than a boss and assistant. Nia was loyal to Kara to a fault. Kara adored Nia and protected her like a little sister. Nia always stood by her side and supported her even when Kara was crazy. If Kara needed anything day or night, Nia would come running.

Kara thought Nia’s love had to do with her giving her a job, but she was wrong. Nia was loyal to Kara because she was the first person in her life to treat her with unconditional love and respect after she found out she was transgender. Kara was the first person to call her beautiful after she admitted the truth and the first person to treat her like family without an agenda. Nia would always support Kara no matter what.

“Okay, so what do we need to do?”, Nia asked bringing Kara back to the present day.

“Pour whiskey into my coffee and get me two aspirin. After that we will go over the dossier Cat sent over and see what we are dealing with. Get yourself a big ole’ cup of that kombucha nonsense you drink. It’s going to be a long day.”

Nia walked over to Kara and gave her a hug. She kissed her on the top of the head and smiled sweetly.

“I’m so glad you’re home. You ARE going to let me check out that leg”, Nia said putting her foot down.

“It’s good to be home”, Kara said grabbing Nia close and giving her a big squeeze.

Nia made her way out of Kara’s office cheerfully.

Kara opened her desk drawer and pulled out the envelope from Cat. She opened it and pulled out the dossier. A small round gold badge dropped out of the envelope. A post-it was attached to the badge.

_ Kara - Please remember the responsibility this badge gives you. Be smart, be safe and come home in one piece. Remember that the Luthors are the enemy and we are at war. Keep your head down and always watch your six. Love, Cat._

Kara picked up the badge and held it in the palm of her hand. The weight was impressive. Kara couldn’t figure out whether she missed her badge or if it felt like a ball and chain around her neck.

***

Kara and Nia spent the rest of the day reading everything Cat sent about the Luthor Crime Syndicate and researching the family online. There was a ton of detail about Lex and Lillian but what she needed was information on Lena Luthor. She needed to meet her as soon as possible.

Kara asked Nia to reach out to Lena’s office and arrange a meeting the following day. Kara couldn’t help but wonder what the daughter of one of the most ruthless families would be like. What she did know was that she was going into the enemy camp and she would have to prepare herself for war.

***

“Please come in and take a seat Ms. Danvers”, Lena said pointing to the chair across from hers at her desk. “How can I help you today?”

Kara took a seat and surveyed the situation as she always did. She made two observations.

Her first observation was that Lena's office was tastefully decorated and modern. Kara had expected her office to look like a villain’s cave from a spy movie, but her office was light and bright. Her floor to ceiling windows allowed the the sun to shine in and her furniture was decorated in bright white with stainless steel accents.

Her second observation was that Lena Luthor was singularly the most strikingly beautiful woman Kara had ever seen. Her long, jet black hair, her alabaster skin, her ruby lips were all exceptionally beautiful, but it was her eyes that drew Kara in instantly. They were so green, Kara could weep, but it was the kindness Kara saw behind them that was so intoxicating.

Kara had every intention of hating Lena Luthor. Her brother murdered Charlie, her family was the most violent and destructive criminal element in the U.S. and Lena was rich beyond any normal person’s comprehension. Kara wanted to prepare herself for war, but Lena’s smile made her feel warm and safe. Her beauty dulled Kara’s senses and quieted the anger that always swirled around inside her heart.

Lena sat down in her chair and leaned forward. Her smile was bright and warm.

_I could get lost in your eyes. Focus Kara. Focus._

“Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice, Ms. Luthor. My name is Kara Danvers, I am acting as a Special Deputy Marshal for the U.S. Marshal Service. I was appointed by the Attorney General to track down and locate your brother and your stepmother.”

Lena leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Kara studied body language constantly when she had to apprehend unwilling suspects. She could tell Lena was already on the defensive. Suddenly, Lena stood up and walked around her desk. She stood next to Kara’s chair. Her face turned red, her eyes narrowed with anger, and she clenched her jaw tight.

“Listen Ms. Danvers or Special Deputy something something, I have had every single law enforcement agency under the sun storm into this office and accuse me of working with my family. Before you start accusing me of anything I just want to make one thing crystal clear. I have not seen Lex in ten years. My stepmother and I have a hateful relationship and I think they are disgusting violent sociopaths. I will not have you come in here and interrogate me or accuse me of being part of the Luthor Crime Syndicate. I just won’t.”

_This is terrible. This woman is having a full on meltdown and all I can concentrate on is how beautiful her lips are. I wonder what they taste like. Focus Kara. Please. _

Kara stayed calm. She decided to take a calculated risk. She took Lena’s hand and gave her the sweetest, brightest, most disarming smile. It wasn’t a smile she used very often but it wasn’t often she met someone so beautiful and strong. She hated that she had upset the stunning woman so quickly.

“Please, just call me Kara. If I said something or did something to offend you I am truly sorry. I never meant to intimate that I was here to accuse you of any wrong doing. If I gave you that impression I must beg your forgiveness. I hope you believe that. Really, it’s quite the contrary. I came here to ask for your help and guidance.”

Lena’s face softened immediately. Her face blushed with embarrassment. Kara didn’t let go of Lena’s hand immediately.

“My God…I am so sorry. That was terribly rude. Please forgive me for being so defensive”, Lena said with a little smile. She squeezed Kara’s hand and looked into her eyes.

_I could stare into your eyes and never get enough. You are so beautiful. What is this woman doing to me?_

“You have nothing to apologize for Ms. Luthor. I’m sorry you’ve had such bad experiences with law enforcement.”

Lena let go of Kara’s hand.

_Please don’t let go. It felt so wonderful to touch your skin._

Lena didn’t return to her chair. She sat down in the chair next to Kara’s and turned towards her. Kara turned to face Lena more comfortably.

“I was dreadfully rude and I really do apologize. Can we start over? Hi, I’m Lena”, Lena said smiling.

Lena extended a hand out to Kara and beamed.

They were sitting very close. Kara could feel her heart pounding wildly in her chest.

Kara took her hand and gazed into her eyes.

_It’s so soft, so warm. I could hold this hand for a lifetime._

A warmth spread across Kara’s cheeks.

_Damn you Kara. Get a grip._

“It’s lovely to meet you Lena, my name is Special Agent Something Something”, Kara said playfully.

Lena let out a belly laugh and took Kara’s hand. They both smiled at each other with bright eyes. There was something flirtatious about the whole interaction. Kara wondered if Lena was feeling what she was feeling. What she did know was that her laugh was infectious, her eyes could make the angels weep and Kara didn’t want to live in a world where she couldn’t feel Lena’s hand in hers.

“Now that I was not expecting”, Lena said still laughing.

“I’m glad. Who wants to be predictable?”, Kara said chuckling a little.

Lena let go of Kara’s hand and once again Kara could feel a chilly sadness wash over her.

_What is happening here? She’s supposed to be the enemy._

Lena leaned forward and rested a hand on Kara’s knee. She smiled sweetly.

_Holy crap. Don’t blush Kara! Don’t blush. Damn!_

Kara could feel her face flush fiery red and she hated herself for it. No one had ever elicited such an extreme reaction from Kara.

“Listen, now that I have shown you my awful side, why don’t I show you a little kindness. How can I help you? What can I do to help you in your quest to topple the Luthor regime.”

“You make it sound so much grander than it is. I’m not a knight”, Kara said with genuine smile.

“If you can bring down my brother and stepmother, you will be a true lionheart in my eyes. You would be my hero. No one in this world will ever respect any of my contributions to society if they continue their reign of terror. The only way I will distance myself from their crimes is to make the name Luthor synonymous with change, compassion and innovation.”

_Did she just say I would be her hero? Her lionheart? I want that so bad. Why do I care so much about what this perfect stranger thinks of me? She is just too beautiful._

“Do you mind if I ask a question?”, Kara asked sincerely.

“Not at all”, Lena said unbuttoning her shirt cuffs and rolling up her sleeves a little.

_Even her wrists and forearms are perfect. I wish I could be one of her sleeves, pressed against her skin all day long. My GOD Kara. Focus._

“Have you ever considered going by a different name?”

“I did that when I went to boarding school. A dear family friend took me in when my family was out of control. Her name was Graves so I went by Lena Graves. Everything was great until the truth came out about my real identity. Not only was I accused of being a liar but everyone assumed that I must have some malicious intent if I was hiding who I was. They all accused me of working with my family to hatch some kind of scheme. It was devastating.”

_Oh God. She’s so upset. Do something. Why did you bring this up?_

Kara leaned forward and took Lena’s hands in her own. She looked deep into her eyes and gave her a sad smile.

“I am so sorry you have suffered so much Ms. Luthor”, Kara said.

_I don’t think this was what Cat was picturing when she sent me in. Did I really just grab her hands?_

Lena gave Kara a smile back. Her eyes were wet with tears. She let Kara hold her hands. Kara was shocked that Lena didn’t pull her hands away. She seemed to lean in closer.

“Thank you for being so kind. I am so sorry I doubted your motives. You must think I’m a monster. I guess I showed a little of my Luthor colors.”

“Quite the contrary, Ms. Luthor. Considering who your family is, I think you are a solitary light, glowing bright in a family of darkness.”

Now it was Lena who couldn’t control her blushing cheeks.

“Kara, I hope you don’t mind me saying this, but I think you might be one of the kindest people I’ve ever met. I know that’s probably not what a Deputy Marshal aims for, but it’s the truth. I genuinely believe what you say which is so rare these days. There is a honesty and a sincerity in your eyes I find extremely comforting.”

_Ahhh! How is she so nice? She’s talking about honesty and I am keeping the truth about Charlie a secret from her. It’s none of her business, but I feel guilty. Why do I feel so guilty? Is it her business?_

“I’m glad. I do mean what I say Lena. I don’t think you have any connection to your family. If you would be generous enough to spare a little of your time, I would like to sit down with you, informally, and discuss what you know about your brother and stepmother’s habits, likes, dislikes. Anything that might help me create a fuller picture of them.”

“That wouldn’t be a problem at all. I have meetings for the rest of the day today and I have to go to Paris on business for a few days, but I would be happy to give you as much time as you need when I return.”

_She’s leaving the country? I don’t want to be that far away from her. I wish we could spend more time together. Oh my God. Who am I? I sound like some lovesick teen._

“When you return then”, Kara said with a smile.

Kara let go of Lena’s hands and stood up. Lena followed suit. Kara pulled a business card from her pocket and presented it to Lena.

“Here is my personal cell. Call me day or night if you can think of anything helpful…or if you need anything”, Kara said warmly.

“Day or night? Don’t sleep much?”, Lena asked.

“Nope. I’m a hopeless insomniac”, Kara said with a little laugh.

“Same here. I don’t sleep more than a few hours a night”, Lena said commiserating.

_I no longer believe the myth about beauty sleep. If she were any more beautiful my heart would explode._

“Well then, definitely call me if you need me and safe travels.”

Kara turned and stepped towards the door. Lena followed Kara.

“Thank you Special Agent something something. It was a pleasure meeting you”, Lena said keeping up their playful banter.

Kara turned around and gave Lena a soft smile.

“It was a pleasure meeting you too. Safe travels again.”

Lena quickly grabbed Kara’s hand and gave her a serious look of concern.

“Kara, if you decide to go after my family while I’m gone, please be careful. They are ruthless and vindictive.”

“I’ll be careful. Thank you for your concern.”, Kara said.

“Be safe lionheart”, Lena said with a little sparkle in her eyes.

Kara’s heart warmed hearing Lena call her “lionheart”.

Kara walked out of the office and she immediately felt an intense flutter spread through her chest. She walked to the elevator and whispered under her breath “Shit. Love at first sight? Really Kara?”

Kara stepped onto the elevator and rubbed her temples. This was going to be a lot more complicated than she expected. Kara had no idea how she was going to get Lena off her mind while she was in Paris. What she did know was that the image of Lena’s smile would be burned into her memory and would follow her into her dreams.


	3. Hold On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara receives a surprising call from Lena and runs to her side.

Kara sat in the middle of her plush king-size bed, nursing an obscenely large glass of whiskey. A fire burned in the fireplace, and tiny raindrops covered her bedroom windows.

Kara’s home was a modest two bedroom, located in a sleepy middle-class suburb of Los Angeles. Her place was small, but it had an undeniable warmth and charm that was surprising to everyone who knew the gruff bounty hunter. Nia often said there was nowhere in the world she slept better than when she stayed at Kara’s house.

“I can’t explain why. I guess it’s a combination of Kara’s warm and inviting decor and her massive cache of weapons”, Nia once told her mother with a hearty chuckle.

Kara came home after a long day of analyzing the Luthor dossier with Nia and stripped down immediately. She wore nothing except an old pair of boxers and a white t-shirt. Her long blonde locks cascaded over her shoulders. She continued to flip through the Luthor file and scribble some notes.

As she predicted, she couldn’t get Lena off her mind. Every so often, she could focus on a sentence or two, but she spent the better part of the evening imaging just how soft and supple Lena lips must be. She imagined what it would be like to stare deep into her eyes unapologetically and caress her cheeks.

“Come on brain…you need to take over. This is bullshit. Heart, shut the fuck up and let me get some work done”, she said aloud. “Now I’m talking to myself. I really am going crazy.”

Kara’s cell phone rang loudly and shook her from her reverie. Kara looked down and saw it was Cat calling. Kara hit the speaker phone button.

“Hey Cat”, Kara said rubbing her eyes.

“Hi Kara. Just checking in. Were you able to meet with Lena Luthor?”

“I was. We didn’t spend much time together, but she agreed to get together and discuss her family in more detail when she gets back from Paris. Jesus, she really hates law enforcement. She read me the riot act as soon as I introduced myself.”

“You can hardly blame her. I think every law enforcement agency has, at one time or another, thought Lena Luthor was up to no good. Wait. She’s traveling? Do you think the Luthors are in Paris? Do you think she is going there to meet them?”

“Listen to yourself Cat. I don’t think Lena Luthor is working with her family. Her contempt for them runs deep. I could see it in her eyes.”

“Does she hate you as well?”

“No. We came to an understanding.”

“You charmed her didn’t you?”, Cat asked.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about”, Kara said thankful Cat couldn’t see her blush through the phone.

_Shut up Cat. Why do you have to know me so well?_

“I know you Kara. I have watched you talk your way out of some pretty hairy situations simply by batting those eyelashes and flashing those baby blues.”

Kara could feel her face flush red. Kara needed to shut this down.

“Everything was professional. I explained to her that we didn’t approach her to accuse her of any wrongdoing. I told her that we needed her help and I wasn’t the enemy. We’re good.”

“I think she’s dirty.”

“Why Cat? Have you met her?”

“No…but she is just so damn smug. The pictures of her say “Look at me and all my money. I’m a bad guy, but everybody thinks I’m great because I donate to the Children’s hospital.”

Kara couldn’t help but laugh.

“Cat, you’re ridiculous. Listen, I’ll spend the next few days digging deeper and talking to some of my old contacts. When she gets back I’ll turn the screws on her.”

_Or something like that. I wonder what it would feel like to wake up wrapped in her arms, my lips pressed against her neck. Oh God._

Kara’s mind wandered far off.

“Kara? Kara? KARA!”, Cat yelled into the phone.

“Sorry Cat. What?”

“You seem totally distracted. What’s going on?”

“Just tired”, Kara said lying through her teeth.”

“Well, go get some rest. Check in with me as soon as you know more. Sleep well Danson”, Cat said sweetly.

“Night Cat. Sleep well.”

Kara ended the call and lifted the glass to her lips, fully intending to down its contents. She needed to get some sleep and there was no better sleeping pill than 16 oz of pure Irish whiskey. She was just about to drink when her phone rang again. She hit the speaker phone button again.

“Forget something Cat?”, Kara asked.

“Kara?”

“Lena? Is that you?”

“Yes. I’m sorry to call so late.”

“No, I’m sorry. I thought you were someone else. Are you okay?”

“Not really”, Lena said shakily.

Kara could feel her chest tighten with concern. Her heart pounded wildly and her body ached with an intense need to protect her.

“What’s wrong? Where are you?”, Kara asked trying to sound calm.

“I worked late into the evening and had dinner with a friend. I couldn’t help but feel like someone was following me when I was driving home. I pulled over at the police station and I thought I lost them, but I think the car is sitting outside my apartment right now.”

Kara took the glass of whiskey and set it on the side table. She got off the bed and walked over to her closet. She pulled down a clean pair of jeans and a leather jacket. She started getting dressed as she talked to Lena.

“What kind of car is it? Do you know?”

“Black sedan. Something sporty.”

_Not a cop. Maybe a private detective. Maybe someone connected to the Luthors. Shit. _

“Okay, text me your address. Lock the doors and windows. Get something you can use as a weapon.”

“Will a taser do?”

Kara couldn’t help but be impressed.

“That will definitely do”, Kara said with a little smile.”

Kara’s phone chimed and she looked down. Lena texted her the address.

“You’re thirty-five minutes away from me. I’ll be there in fifteen”, Kara said.

“Really? How?”

Kara slipped on a pair black motorcycle boots, her double shoulder holster, and her worn leather jacket.

“Don’t worry about that. Just sit tight and I’ll get there as fast as l can.”

“Thank you Kara.”

***

Kara ran downstairs and hopped on her midnight black Ducati Diavel. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and slid her black helmet over her head. She started the bike and revved the engine hard. Kara took off into the LA night. It was still sprinkling, but she didn’t care. It was exactly thirty-five minutes to get from her place to Lena’s even late at night. Kara drove through the streets of LA bobbing and weaving through cars quickly. When she got on the 10 freeway she had to be going 100 miles per hour. Kara expertly weaved through the cars and pressed the beautiful bike to the limit. Kara only ever used her precious bike when she had to get somewhere fast and she needed to get to Lena as soon as possible.

Kara pulled onto Lena’s street. The posh West Los Angeles neighborhood was normally very quiet, but Kara could hear music playing. Kara turned off her lights and started surveying the area. She spotted Lena’s apartment building. It was one of those mini high-rise apartment buildings with all of the amenities. Everyone who lived inside had a ton of money, but didn’t want to buy a house for fear of being too lonely rattling around in a bunch of empty rooms.

Kara saw a black sedan parked across the street from Lena’s place and she could just make out the long telephoto lens of a camera peeking out the window. Music played loudly from the car.

“Immigrant Song”, By Led Zepplin played through the sleepy street.

_Real incognito you douchbag._

Kara parked her bike and hopped off quickly. She pulled off her helmet and placed it on the seat. She unzipped her jacket. She was going to need to be able to stretch and move.

Kara approached the sedan slowly. She surveyed the car.

_Paper tag. Awesome. _

Kara walked up to the car and pulled the tag off quickly. She shoved it into her pocket. She approached the car window very slowly and grabbed the camera out of the douchbag’s hands. She threw it to the ground and squared off with the window. She definitely took the man by surprise.

“Good evening fucker”, Kara said as she punched the man hard in the face. He fell back, dazed and confused. Not only did Kara have leverage and surprise on her side, but she also boxed with a trainer three times a week. He said her right jab needed work, but Kara felt good about her progress as she watched the stalker hold his bleeding nose and whimper in agony.

Kara leaned over into the car window. She reached into the man’s jacket and pulled out his wallet. She gave him a smile and slipped it quickly into her back pocket. He seemed to come to his senses and hit Kara hard in the face. Kara took the hit like a champ and gave him a smile. Her lip started to bleed instantly. He turned the car on quickly and tried to hit the gas, but the car wasn’t in gear. Kara pulled herself out of the car and stepped back. He grabbed for her, trying to best her from a seated position.

_Moron._

She grabbed the camera from the ground and quickly pulled out one of her snub nose 45s. She aimed the gun at the man. He looked enraged, but he knew he had lost this battle. Something told Kara this was just the beginning. He held his nose as he clumsily put the car in gear and sped away.

Kara pressed a hand to her face and smiled.

***

When Kara stepped off the elevator she saw Lena standing in the hallway waiting. Kara gave Lena a little smile and walked towards her. Lena moved towards Kara, and suddenly the gruff bounty hunter felt a warmth wash over her.

_She’s rich. She’s a client. She could stand there and wait for me to come to her, but she is walking towards me. Why does that feel so nice?_

Lena smiled at Kara, but the moment she saw her up close, her face dropped. Lena stepped forward and stood only inches away from Kara.

“What happened to you? Are you okay. Come in. Let me take a look at you”, Lena said with concern in her eyes.

“I’m fine”, Kara said with a reassuring smile. I found your stalker and we had a little chat.”

Lena grabbed Kara’s hand and guided her into her lavish apartment. The view was spectacular.

_Will I ever stop loving the feeling of her hand holding mine? Fuck. I’m a bounty hunter. Why am I gushing?_

“Come here and sit down, and I’ll get something to clean that up”, Lena said pointing to the couch.

Lena’s genuine concern and firm nursemaiding warmed Kara’s heart.

Lena returned moments later with a first aid kit, an ice pack, and two cold beers.

_God I love this woman. Did I just think that? What the hell is wrong with me. Lena Luthor and her damn eyes broke me. Those perfect, beautiful green eyes. How did she know I needed a beer?_

Lena sat very close to Kara and surveyed the damage.

“So, who won?”, Lena asked with a little smile.

“Well, I got his plate number, his wallet, and his camera so I’m pretty sure I won”, Kara said with an upturned grin.

Lena put a hand on Kara’s knee and looked deep into her eyes.

“Thank you so much for rushing over here.You have no idea how much it means to me. Is that the camera? Jesus. That lens is massive”, Lena said.

_I would rush anywhere if you needed me Lena._

“We can take a look at the memory card in the camera to see how long he has been following you.”

Lena dabbed an alcohol wipe against Kara’s wounds. Her eye was starting to blacken and her cheek was beginning to swell. Lena was gentle, but Kara was also hardened from years of getting punched, kicked, stabbed and shot. Being a bounty hunter wasn’t the safest job.

“Does this hurt?”, Lena asked softly.

She blew on Kara’s wounds to lessen the pain from the alcohol.

“Nope”, Kara said with a sweet smile. “You’re very gentle. Sometimes I think Nia is rough on me to remind me not to get hurt.”

“Nia?”, Lena asked.

Kara could swear she heard a hint of jealously in Lena’s voice.

_Maybe I’m imagining it. There’s no way she would be jealous. Look at her._

“Oh, she’s my assistant. She usually has to patch me up when I have “discussions” with people like our friend outside. She’s more like a little sister than a assistant.”

Lena seemed to calm. She closely inspected the damage.

“How many times did that guy hit you?”, Lena asked.

“Just once. He had massive hands, but he didn’t have much swinging power sitting in the front seat of the car. Hard to tell who the hell he was, but I’ll have Cat run the plate and his ID to see if he has any connection to your family.”

“You think he is working for my family?”

“Is there anyone else who would want to follow you?”

“Not really.”

Lena moved closer. Kara could feel her breath on her cheek. All Kara could think about was how close their lips were. She wished she was brave enough to kiss Lena and just say “fuck it”.

Lena moved a hand to Kara’s uninjured cheek and smiled.

“All in all you still look like a supermodel, even with a black eye.”

Kara’s face flushed red like fire.

_Did she just say that? Wow. Her hair smells like strawberries. Focus Kara!_

“Hardly”, Kara said with a little chuckle.

Lena closed the first aid kit and handed Kara the beer and the ice pack.

“Doctor’s orders”, Lena said with a sparkle in her eyes.

Lena grabbed the other beer and twisted the cap off. She sat back and put her feet up on the coffee table.

_Maybe you’re not as bourgeois as Cat thinks._

Kara twisted the cap off her beer and Lena put her hand out. Kara stared down at her hand for a moment.

_I need to touch it again. I need to feel your skin._

Kara placed the cap in her hand, but did it slowly. She made sure to exaggerate her movements to get the most contact. Lena gave her a sweet smile and tossed the cap onto the table.

“Thank you for getting here so quickly, and thank you for dealing with whatever that was out there.”

“When do you leave for Paris?”

“My flight takes off at ten am.”

“Do you have private security that can go with you to Paris? If not, I can recommend a company. They’re great. You just need someone to travel with you to and from Paris, and to stay by your side until we figure out who the dipshit with the camera is. We need to figure out who wanted pictures of you.”

“I don’t like private security. I haven’t had the best experiences with bodyguards.”

“Let me guess, all men?”

“Yep.”

“Ordered you around, called you “Honey” or”Sweetie”, and talked to you like you were a moron?”

“Exactly!”

“Stared at you in a creepy way when they thought you weren’t looking?”

“Bingo!”

“I can find someone different. The company I work with employs a lot of women.”

“How about you? Want to come to Paris with me? It’s only for three days. Have you been to Paris?”

“Nope.”

_Is this for real? Did I finish the whiskey and pass out on the bed? This is a dream right? Did I hit my head? Shit! She’s talking. Pay attention Kara._

“Come with me. If you’re by my side I know I will be safe and you can ask me anything you want about my family. My information may be a little dated, but I am happy to help where I can. I can’t stand anyone these days except for you for some reason”, she said with a warm smile.

“I don’t know”, Kara said.

_Of course I want to go to the most romantic city on the planet with you and kiss you by the light of the Eiffel Tower. I want to walk down beautifully lit streets with you at night and feed you Brie and warm bread after we make love for three days straight. What the hell Kara? Cat would be so pissed. She is not going to understand this at all._

Lena grabbed Kara’s hand and pleaded with her. She looked deep into Kara’s eyes and Kara knew she was screwed.

“Please Kara. I’m begging you. For some reason I know that if you’re with me I’ll be okay. You make me feel safe…my lionheart.”

_Fuck. She had to go there. Holding my hand and calling me “her lionheart”. Fuck it!_

“Okay. I’ll have to go back to my place and grab a bag. I need to get my passport and put on a bra.”

“You’re not wearing a bra?”, Lena asked with a hearty laugh.

_Her laugh is so infectious._

“Hey, I was worried about you. I ran out as fast as I could”, Kara said pretending to be hurt playfully.

Lena squeezed Kara’s hand and her expression changed. She looked very serious.

“Is there any way I can go with you? I kind of don’t want to be alone right now.”

“Of course”, Kara said feeling like a guest at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

_Did you just invite a freaking Luthor to your place? KARA! Get a grip!_

Lena squeezed Kara’s hand and smiled.

“Thank you for all of this Kara. I know this isn’t what you signed up for.”

“Don’t worry about that. The only thing I care about right now is keeping you safe and figuring out who that toolbag with the camera was. Everything will be okay”, Kara said with a reassuring smile.

Lena stood up and held onto Kara’s hand. She looked into Kara’s eyes and beamed. Kara stood up and smiled back.

Their bodies were only inches apart. Kara swallowed hard.

_Why do I feel like this? I just met her._

“I dig the leather by the way”, Lena said unabashed.

“I need it for my bike”, Kara said nervously.

_That was so hot. _

“Your bike? You have a motorcycle?”

“I do. It’s a Ducati.”

“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before. I’ve always wanted to ride one, but I’ve always been too terrified.”

“Do you have any leather?”

“I do.”

“Go throw on some leather and I’ll take you for the ride of your life”, Kara said with a wink. “You’ll be safe with me.”

Lena grinned and Kara knew nothing in her life would be the same again. Lena Luthor had stolen her heart, and now she had to figure out how she was going to explain to Cat that she was flying to Paris with the “enemy”.


	4. Wild Horses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena learns that there is more to Kara than meets the eye.

Some of the residents of Lena’s neighborhood were starting to rise and prepare for their day. Lights were switching on in bedrooms, coffee was being brewed and newspapers were being delivered by drowsy boys on bicycles. 

Still, the darkness hung heavy over Lena’s street and the silence was oppressive. Every step Kara took was to protect Lena. Every breath she took was to keep her safe. The moment their eyes met in Lena’s office, Kara knew her heart would only beat for Lena from that point forward and it shook her steely reserve in the most surprising way.

Kara’s number one concern was making sure that the thug with the camera didn’t return to enact his vengeance. Kara walked down the street holding Lena’s hand. She told her to stay close and Lena obeyed. Kara searched their surroundings with her eyes and ears as they made their way back to Kara’s ride.

When they located Kara’s Ducati, she handed Lena her helmet and hopped on the back of the sleek machine. Lena slipped the helmet over her head nervously and opened the visor. Kara patted the seat behind her and Lena climbed on.

“Wow. This suddenly just got very real. Where’s your helmet?”, Lena asked.

“I only have one helmet with me. It’s all good.”

“You need to be safe too”, Lena said concerned.

“I’ll be fine. You’re more important”, Kara said. “They’re foot pegs back there for you to rest your feet on. Hold onto me as tight as you can and if you get tired just lean against me”, Kara said. “You ready?”

“I think so. Yeah. Let’s do it.”

Lena tightened her chin strap, flipped down her visor and wrapped her arms around Kara’s waist tight. Kara started up the bike and took off in a flash.

She was far more conservative with her speed and movements through traffic than before, but that didn’t stop Lena from squealing and howling with delight as Kara raced through the cool night air.

***

Kara pulled into her driveway just as the sun started to rise in the East. The rain had abated and the colors of the sunrise were spectacular. Lena hopped off the bike and slid the helmet off her head.

“Holy crap! That was so amazing. We need to do that again. Can we go again?”, Lena asked overjoyed.

Kara beamed.

“We should probably take the Suburban since they’ll be luggage, but we can go out again when we get back from Paris.”

“Promise?”, Lena asked with almost child-like excitement.

Kara couldn’t help but smile.

“Promise”, Kara said with a grin. “You’re adorable.”

Kara noticed Lena shake again.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah…just a little cold”, Lena said.

“Come on. Let’s get inside and I’ll make us some coffee.”

Kara led the way up the path to the front door. Lena followed closely behind.

“This is your home?”, Lena asked looking up in bewildered awe. It was a sweet one-story white house with blue trim. The lawn was green and lush and there was a small garden with flowers and herbs.

“This is me.”

“Why did I think you would live in a bat cave or something?”

“You’re not the first person to say that. I guess you could say I have layers”, Kara said with a smile. “Come on. Let’s get inside and get you warmed up. It shouldn’t take me long to get a bag packed.”

“Don’t forget to put on a bra”, Lena said playfully.

Kara gave Lena a playful wink back and opened the front door. She disarmed the alarm quickly and waved Lena inside.

Kara closed the door behind them and turned on a light. She pulled off her jacket and expertly tossed it onto the coat rack.

Lena looked around and smiled. It was a smile Kara hadn’t seen before.

“What’s that smile all about?”, Kara asked.

“Your home is so warm and inviting. It makes me realize how cold and shitty my apartment is”, Lena said with a sad laugh.

“I thought your apartment was very inviting. That view. My God”, Kara said with a big grin. “Maybe it was just nice seeing where you live.”

“I hope you’ll come to my place again. You might have to help me decorate and warm things up”, Lena said with a little blush on her cheeks.

_Did she just ask me to be her interior decorator?_

Kara grinned and walked into the kitchen. She flipped on the light and walked to the refrigerator. She grabbed a couple bottles of water. Lena followed her like a newborn baby chick seeking direction. Kara handed one of the cold bottles to Lena and popped the cap off the other. She drank the water down in a few large gulps.

“Thank you”, Lena said with a smile.

Lena watched Kara as she set up the coffee pot. Kara could feel her eyes on her and she liked it. She wanted all of Lena’s attention. She wanted to matter to Lena.

Once the coffee was brewing Kara turned to the shivering brunette.

“Did you want to hang out down here or would you like the grand tour?”, Kara asked.

“Definitely the grand tour”, Lena said with a sweet smile.

Kara put her hand out to Lena and she took it happily.

“So, you’ve seen the kitchen. That’s the living room and the dining room over there”, Kara said pointing. “There’s a small backyard and a deck. It’s not much, but it’s home.”

Kara led the way to the back of the house.

“This is one of the bathrooms and the guest room.”

“And this is my bedroom”, Kara said opening the door.

Lena walked in behind Kara and she smiled sweetly. The bedroom was big. There was a massive king-size bed, adorned with fluffy blankets and pillows, a big overstuffed chair that sat in front of the fireplace, and a little office area with a computer desk and a TV.

“Wow. This might be the most warm and inviting bedroom I’ve ever seen. Is that a fireplace?”

“It is. I love that fireplace. “This used to be a three bedroom, but I combined the two bedrooms into one large one.”

“It’s perfect”, Lena said dreamily.

“I’m glad you think so. Kick off your shoes and get comfortable. If you don’t mind I’ll get cleaned up really quick and then we can head out.”

“I don’t mind at all”, Lena said.

Kara walked over to the closet and grabbed a small suitcase. She started throwing clothes into the luggage without much care or concern. Kara pulled out her most beloved piece of clothing. It was a very old and very worn U.S. Marhsals sweatshirt. It was so old it was soft as silk, but it always kept Kara warm on cold nights.

“Why don’t you take off that jacket. Leather is great for a bike but not the best for getting warm. Here, put this on. It will keep you warmer”, Kara said handing her prized sweatshirt to Lena.

_I don’t even know Lena. Why am I trying so hard with her? Why do I want to give her the world? Because you’re falling in love Kara. You would give her anything including that damn sweatshirt you love so much. Breathe._

Lena smiled and took the sweatshirt. She took off her jacket. Kara grabbed it and laid it over the arm of the chair. Lena slipped the sweatshirt over her head and beamed.

“Oh my God. This sweatshirt is so soft”, Lena said. “It smells so good. It smells like…”, Lena trailed off embarrassed.

“Me?”, Kara asked.

“Yeah”, Lena said averting her eyes and blushing fiercely.

“It’s my favorite sweatshirt. It took many years to get it that soft.”

“Thank you for sharing it”, Lena said with bright eyes and a warm smile.

Kara returned to the task at hand. She grabbed some clothes to change into. A black shirt and black pants seemed appropriate if she would be acting as Lena’s bodyguard. Lena watched Kara navigate around her bedroom and smiled. Kara would look up occasionally and catch Lena beaming and smile back.

Kara walked into the bathroom and stripped down. She turned on the shower and let the water warm up. She brushed her teeth and surveyed the damage to her face.

_Not the worst._

“Make yourself comfortable”, Kara yelled out to Lena.

Kara climbed into the shower and let the warm water bring her tired body back to life.

_Lena Luthor is sitting in my bedroom right now and all I want to do is beg her to climb into this shower with me. All I want to do is make love to her until our legs go numb. I wonder what her lips taste like right now. Oh God…I’m hopeless._

Kara showered quickly and got dressed. When she walked back into the bedroom, Lena was laying on Kara’s side of the bed fast asleep. She looked like an angel.

_Kara, get a grip. You’ve known this woman for a few hours…but she’s in my bed. My pillow will smell like her. I will never wash that pillow. Jesus, here I go again. I sound like a lovesick fool. What the hell is wrong with me? My thoughts are responding to each other? I feel like I’m going crazy. It was in her eyes. Her stupid beautiful perfect eyes._

Kara quietly packed the rest of her things. She threw on a black sweater and walked over to the bed. Lena was sleeping so peacefully. Kara imagined what it would be like to kiss her eyelids, her cheeks, her beautiful lips. She wished they didn’t have to leave. She wished she could start a fire in the fireplace and turn on a movie. She imagined what it would be like to hold Lena in her arms. She could close her eyes and picture what it would feel like to have Lena lay on her chest. The mere thought spread a warmth and joy through her she never felt before in daydreams or reality.

Kara walked up to Lena and caressed her hair softly. She rubbed the bridge of her nose gently with her forefinger and moved closer.

“Lena…Lena”, Kara whispered softly.

_I want to kiss you so bad. I need to kiss you._

Lena stirred, but she didn’t wake up. She grabbed Kara’s hand and held it to her face.

“Bunnies. Too many bunnies”, Lena whispered, clearly still asleep.

Kara had to stifle her laughter. She just froze and bit her lip.

“Lena…Lena Luthor”, she whispered a little louder. She continued to rub her nose gently.

Lena sat up with a start and looked around.

“Oh my God. I am SO sorry I fell asleep.”

“Why are you sorry? You’re fine Lena. I had to do a few things anyway.”

“Your bed is so freaking comfortable. Wow. Sorry I pulled a Goldilocks.”

“No need to apologize”, Kara said with a hearty chuckle.

“Do we have to go now?”, Lena asked.

She sounded a little disappointed. Kara felt the warmth spread through her chest again.

“We probably should so you can grab your stuff before we head to the airport. It will take a little longer to get back to your place since we will be in a car and not on the bike.”

“It’s great that you have both a car and a motorcycle”, Lena said.

“Yeah. I need a car to bring in fugitives. You should be a lot more comfortable on the way back. I know it was cold on the bike.”

“I don’t know…I was pretty comfortable with you wrapped in my arms”, Lena said.

Kara could see a look of horror move across Lena’s face. Kara was pretty sure she was freaking out about what she just said.

Kara blushed a little and gave Lena a smile.

“Well, if you want to go out for another ride when we get back, I’m game.”

“I will definitely take you up on that”, Lena said averting her eyes a little.

Lena sat up and moved to take off Kara’s sweatshirt.

“Speaking of warm…that reminds me…this is yours.”

“Hold onto it. It’s cold and I know it will keep you warm. You can give it back to me later.”

“Thank you”, Lena said clearly touched.

_Lena, you have no idea what I would give to be close to you. I would give you the world._

“I can’t help thinking how nice this bedroom must be on a stormy night. You could start a fire, cuddle up under the blankets and just watch romantic movies until you pass out. I’m sure you’re too tough for something like that”, Lena said with a cheeky little smile. 

“I guess it would depend on the company. I could see enjoying many evenings like that with the right woman”, Kara said matching Lena’s tone and playfulness.

***

Lena and Kara sat together in the back of a stretch limo. There was room for twelve people to fit comfortably, but they sat close. Very close.

“Shit. I need to call my boss. I should get her started on the search for the jackass with the camera. Do you mind if I call her?”

“Not at all”, Lena said with a genuine smile.

Kara pulled out her cell phone and searched through her contacts. She found Cat’s name and clicked Send. The phone only rang once.

“Cat Grant.”

“Hi Cat…It’s Kara.”

“Hi Kara. What do you have for me?”

“I’m sending you a copy of a driver’s license and a license plate number. Can you run it and see if the guy or the car come back tied to the Luthors?

Kara pulled up the files and sent them to Cat.

“Where did you run into this creep?”

Kara took a deep breath. She was pretty sure Cat was going to lose her mind when she told her she was going to Paris with Lena Luthor.

“Outside Lena Luthor’s apartment. He was sitting outside taking pictures with a telephoto lens. I got a bad feeling about the guy. He seemed like more of a heavy than an errand boy. “

“Why were you outside Lena Luthor’s apartment?”, Cat asked with a tone of confusion and irritation.

_This should go well. Fuck._

Lena could hear every word Cat said to Kara through the phone. She put a hand on Kara’s and gave her an apologetic smile.

“She called me and I’m glad she did. If she didn’t, God only knows what would have happened. We might have missed out on a potential lead.”

“How did you get his license Kara?”

“We had a conversation of sorts.”

“I know what your “conversations” are like Kara. What condition did you leave this Corben guy in?”

“He’s alive and he drove away.”

“Good. That’s growth for you. Where are you now?”

_Shit. I knew she was going to ask that._

“I’m in a car on my way to the airport.”

“Where are you going? I didn’t approve any travel vouchers. Do you have any leads?”

“I’m flying to Paris with Lena Luthor for a couple days. I’ll be back on Tuesday. We are flying on her private jet.”

Kara knew instinctively when to hold the phone away from her ear. She held it out in front of her and she and Lena both cringed when they heard Cat screaming shrilly into the phone.

“WHAT? YOU’RE DOING WHAT? KARA? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND? ARE YOU THERE?”

“Yes Cat. I’m here. Listen…I think the guy outside is connected to the Luthors. She needs someone to protect her and keep an eye out for any other suspicious people. We weren’t going to find anyone on such short notice.”

“Kara. Be smart about this. You don’t know her. You can’t trust her. This could all be a long con.”

“Thanks for the advice Cat. Listen, email me if you get any hits on our guy with the camera and I’ll touch base from Paris.”

“Kara! Kara you need to think about this”, Cat said before Kara interrupted.

“I have to go Cat. I’ll be in touch. Thanks.”

Kara disconnected the call before Cat could say another word. She laid the phone down on her lap and exhaled sharply.

“Are you okay Kara?”, Lena asked.

“Yeah. I’m good.”

Lena turned to Kara and grabbed both of her hands.

_Sweet Jesus. What have you done to me?_

“I don’t want you to get you into trouble. You have already done more than I ever could have hoped for. The fact that you believed in me from day one is extraordinary. I can call and see if I can get private security to meet me in Paris. I’ll be fine. You can’t do this. You shouldn’t do this.”

Kara’s face softened into a dreamy smile. Lena was so sharp and pulled together for the public. She was all perfect hair and makeup, fancy cars and galas but here, with Kara all alone, she was soft and warm and incredibly vulnerable. Kara could feel her heart fill with love and warmth and she prayed she would be able to resist the temptation to kiss Lena.

_Shit. I’m about to spill my guts and I don’t think I can stop myself. Don’t do it Kara!_

“The moment I laid eyes on you I felt a warmth and sincerity coming from you that was completely unexpected. It floored me how much I trusted you and wanted to protect you. You called me your ‘lionheart’ and all I can tell you is that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe. I guess if I’m your lionheart…you’re my king. I don’t care how it effects my mission. I just want to know you’re okay. I promise you that I will bring Lex and Lillian in, but my main concern is and always will be keeping you safe from harm.”

Lena was speechless. She stared into Kara’s eyes. Kara could see Lena’s well up with tears. She placed a hand on Kara’s cheek and let out a deep sigh. 

“Who are you? I mean really? How are you this kind? One minute you’re kicking the crap out of a guy and the next minute you say something that is so warm and so moving I think I might weep. I don’t trust anyone. I don’t really like many people. For all intents and purposes, I should loathe everything about you but I don’t. I look into your eyes and I see compassion and warmth. I see someone who makes me feel safe.”

“Like I said…I’ve got layers”, Kara said with a sweet smile and a wink.

The car pulled into the private hangar, and the driver buzzed on the intercom.

“Ms. Luthor. We have arrived.”

“Just a minute Luke. Thank you.”

“Okay...so we are being honest with each other. Can I admit something to you that no one else knows except a very select group of people who have signed an NDA?”, Lena asked.

“Of course. Where do I sign?”, Kara asked playfully.

“I’m terrified of flying. I mean terrified isn’t the right word. Petrified, horrified, completely frozen would be a more apt description of what I feel normally.”

“But you have your own jet and I’m sure you travel internationally all of the time”, Kara said surprised.

“I usually have to medicate myself heavily, and even then, I am usually too conscious of the dangers to sleep peacefully. I’m usually a basket case and I think the flight attendants secretly hate me.”

Kara smiled and caressed Lena’s cheek softly.

“Do you trust me?”, Kara asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

“I do. Completely. Not sure why, but God help me I do.”

“I will get you through this. I promise. I will be with you every step of the way. Everything will be okay. You’re not alone.”

Lena smiled sweetly and held Kara’s hand against her cheek.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you but I am so glad you’re here. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to run away from all of this.”

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you Lena ”, Kara said with love and sincerity in her heart.

_Fuck. I have worked so hard to build up a tough exterior and I keep can’t keep my mouth shut about my feelings. What is wrong with me? What are you doing to me Lena? Change the subject. Too many feelings. _

“Come on. Let’s go check out this jet of yours.”

Kara reached for the door handle.

Lena grabbed Kara’s hand and she turned around quickly.

“Is everything okay?”

Lena stared deep into her eyes.

“Thank you Kara. Thank you for seeing me, and not just my last name.”

Kara gave Lena her most charming smile. She knew walking away from the emerald-eyed beauty was hopeless. She was committed to keeping Lena safe until the Luthors were finally brought to justice.


	5. Hold You In My Arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara helps Lena overcome her fear of flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m fasting for five days so I will be writing and posting a lot. I hope you guys don’t get sick of the updates!

“Are you okay Lena?”, Kara asked with a concerned smile.

“Yeah. Just trying to remember how to breathe.”

Kara and Lena sat across from each other in the soft seating area at the back of the plane. The flight attendants brought them both a glass of champagne.

One of the flight attendants stood above Lena. Her name tag said “Rose”. She had about three feet of long red hair and the palest skin Kara had ever seen.

“Ms. Luthor, should we prepare the usual…um…”, Rose asked trailing off.

“No Rose. Thank you. I’m going to try and stay awake”, Lena said nervously. She made eye contact with Kara and smiled.

“Hi Rose, my name is Kara. Thank you in advance for your help today”, Kara said reaching a hand out to Rose.

Rose blushed and gave Kara a sweet smile. She took Kara’s hand and shook it. There was something flirty about Rose’s gaze.

Lena looked a little perturbed.

“Is there any way we can play some music and get two cups of chamomile tea?”, Kara asked sweetly.

“Of course. You can connect your phone to the Bluetooth and play it through the cabin. I will bring you the tea right away.”

“Perfect. Thanks Rose”, Kara said with her most disarming smile.

Lena looked over at Kara and gave her an inquisitive look.

“What was all that?”, Lena asked as Rose made her way back to the galley.

“Earning a little good will. These women are responsible for keeping you comfortable. If you think they secretly hate you, let’s change that.”

“Makes sense”, Lena said with a little smile. She was clearly relieved Kara wasn’t flirting.

Kara pulled out her phone and connected the Bluetooth. She picked a relaxing playlist and turned the volume down so they could talk.

“Okay…so you’re terrified of flying. Tell me why.”

“I’ve always been terrified of planes, but about a year ago we lost an engine on an international flight and we almost went down in the water. The pilot was amazing and we were able to land at the airport, but I’ve never been so scared in all my life. The takeoff and landing are always the worst.”

“So…it’s the impending doom?”

“Yep.”

“Have you tried working?”

“I have, but I can never concentrate.”

“I have an idea. Come here”, Kara said patting the couch next to her.

Lena grinned and moved to Kara’s side.

They turned towards each other and and Kara looked deep into Lena’s eyes. Lena blushed a little and smiled sweetly.

“Okay. What’s your idea?”

“Close your eyes for me”, Kara said.

Rose returned with two cups of tea and set them down. Kara mouthed the words “thank you” to Rose. She gave Kara a nod and a flirty wink.

“Okay…what’s next?”, Lena asked shakily.

It was clear from Lena’s furrowed brow and clenched jaw that she was feeling completely untethered.

“Take a couple deep breaths”, Kara said.

The door to the plane closed and the engines started up. Kara could see Lena’s body stiffen. Her legs shook.

Lena took a couple shallow breaths, but Kara could tell she was already starting to suffer from a panic attack.

“Concentrate on something regular and steady. A sound. Maybe a constant click or hum you hear.”

Lena shook harder.

_Shit. This isn’t working. She’s freaking out._

“I can’t. I know it’s weird, but all the sounds on the airplane weird me out.”

“I have an idea. Here, move closer”, Kara said helping Lena move closer to her on the couch.

Kara took Lena’s hand and placed it over her heart. Lena’s eyes opened when she realized her hand was now placed firmly on Kara’s chest. Kara gave her a sweet smile and placed her hand over Lena’s. She caressed it gently with her thumb.

Lena smiled.

“Now close your eyes and concentrate on the beating of my heart. Block out all other sounds, all other cares or worries and just concentrate on the beating of my heart”, Kara said pressing her hand tighter to her chest.

Lena closed her eyes and started to breathe in and out at a steady pace.

“It…it might work better if I could hear it and feel it”, Lena said.

Kara grinned.

“Okay. Come here”, Kara said leaning back against the arm of the couch. She guided Lena closer until she laid her head on Kara’s chest. Her ear was placed just over Kara’s heart. Lena rested her hand next to her head and closed her eyes.

“How’s that?”, Kara asked.

“Better. Much better”, Lena said starting to calm.

Kara moved a hand to Lena’s head and caressed her hair softly.

“Just breathe normally and concentrate on the sound of my heartbeat. Concentrate on the feeling of it beating against your hand and your cheek. If you get scared or nervous, just think about my heartbeat, steady and consistent and it will help you calm down.”

Kara could feel Lena’s body relax on top of her. Her muscles lost their stiff rigor and Kara could feel her body go slack and relaxed. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and rubbed her back as the plane took off into the air. Kara pulled Lena closer and pressed her lips to the top of Lena’s head.

“You okay?”, Kara asked.

Kara could see Lena’s smile grow.

“I’ve never been more okay in all my life”, Lena whispered.

***

Kara and Lena spent the majority of the eleven hour flight to Paris curled up together on the couch. Kara didn’t know if Lena continued to move back to her side because she was scared or if it was because she just wanted to be near Kara. She really didn’t care what her reasoning was. All she cared about was holding Lena and making her feel safe. There was nothing in the world Kara wanted more than to be near her.

The flight attendants were very thankful that Kara kept Lena calm. They cheerfully brought them their meals and drinks. They shot Kara looks of appreciation whenever Lena was looking away.

Spending eleven hours together alone helped Lena and Kara get to know each other much better and each time Kara held Lena, their physical boundaries dropped a little more.

Lena and Kara laid on the couch like two nesting dolls. Lena’s back was pressed against Kara’s chest and Kara had her arms wrapped around Lena’s body loosely.

“So, what exactly is a ‘Special Deputy Marshal’?, Lena asked.

“Usually ex-Marshals that are reinstated for temporary assignment.”

“Why did you leave the Marshals?”

“I lost someone close to me and decided I needed a career change.”

”I’m so sorry you lost someone.”

“I became a fugitive recovery agent because the skill set is very similar.”

Lena laughed a little.

“Fugitive recovery agent? Is that a fancy way of saying ‘bounty hunter’?”

Kara smiled and blushed.

“Yeah. The term ‘bounty hunter’ has such a negative connotation that we rarely use the term anymore.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend…”, Lena started.

Kara laughed hard and gave Lena a squeeze. She caressed her hair gently and chuckled.

“You never have to apologize to me Lena. Tell me something about being a ‘media mogul’. What does your day look like?”

“Meetings. So many damn meetings”, Lena said with a hearty laugh.

Kara’s chest warmed when she felt Lena take her hand and hold it. She interlaced her fingers with Kara’s, and at that very moment, Kara knew she could die happy.

_I want to wake up next to you sharing the same pillow. Is it possible you’re not interested in me and this is just your way of seeking comfort? Jesus Kara, get out of your head. She’s talking again._

“Media mogul just means that I own a magazine, a tv channel and a film production company. Really it means that I have occupational ADHD”, Lena said with a goofy grin.

Kara leaned her head forward and looked at Lena. She moved a strand of hair out of her face gently.

“I don’t know much, but I think what you do is pretty fucking amazing. You’re successful, powerful and you’ve managed to build a legitimate business far away from your family”, Kara said with a sincere smile.

Lena was clearly touched. Her eyes welled up. She turned a little and placed a hand on Kara’s cheek and smiled through her tears.

“Thank you for getting me. No one gets me.”

***

After they ate breakfast, Lena yawned and sat back down on the couch.

“You should see if you can get some rest”, Kara said.

“What about you?”, Lena asked.

“If you sleep, I’ll sleep.”

Kara sat down next to Lena and smiled. She grabbed one of the soft blankets Rose brought over and laid it across Lena’s lap.

“You close your eyes and I’ll be right here”, Kara said sweetly.

Without warning, Lena laid her head down in Kara’s lap and closed her eyes. Kara pulled the blanket up so it covered Lena more and smiled. She ran a gentle hand along her hairline and caressed her head softly.

_I am falling so hard for you. I don’t know what to do._

“Kara”, Lena whispered.

“Yeah”, Kara whispered back.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

“No. Not at the moment”, Kara said.

“Why? You’re kind of amazing”, Lena responded with her eyes still closed.

“What about you?”, Kara asked.

“No one at the moment”, Lena responded with a little smile.

“Why?”, Kara asked mirroring Lena’s curiosity.

“I hate people”, Lena said with a chuckle.

Kara let out a little chuckle as well.

“Gotcha.”

“Why do you ask Lena?”

“Well, you see…I adore this lap. I just wanted to make sure it didn’t belong to anyone else. I would like to stay here for a while.”

_Holy shit. Did she just say that? You can stay as long as you like Lena. Jesus…stay forever._

“Stay here as long as you like. I’m not going anywhere”, Kara whispered softly.

Lena turned to her side facing Kara. Kara rubbed the bridge of Lena’s nose gently and caressed her cheeks until they both fell fast asleep.


	6. Closer To You

Lena was still fast asleep on Kara’s lap when the plane landed in Paris. Kara awoke a few hours before landing and happily watched Lena curled up in a state of sweet repose. She wrapped her arms around Lena and held her close. She felt like no matter how tight she squeezed she couldn’t get close enough. She was soft and warm and everything Kara needed.

Kara felt a unfamiliar sense of contentment. She felt like she hadn’t been able to breathe or rest since Charlie died. She was constantly moving and never allowed herself to just be happy. Most nights, Kara had to polish off a fifth of whiskey just to be able to sleep, and even then she could only rest for a few hours.

The tires hit the ground and Kara caressed Lena’s cheek softly as they taxied.

“Welcome to Paris Lena”, Kara whispered softly. Lena’s eyes opened and she gave Kara a dreamy smile.

“What did you say?”, Lena asked with a yawn.

“I said…welcome to Paris. We just landed.”

Lena sat up and looked around in shock.

“What? Are you serious? I slept through the landing?”

Lena leapt to her feet and beamed cheerfully.

“I can’t believe it. I’ve never slept through landing before no matter how tired I was.”

“You just needed to relax”, Kara said with a sweet smile.

Lena sat down next to Kara and took her hand.

“Thank you for helping me relax. The sound of your heartbeat…well, I think it will always be my happy thought. I can’t think of anything more soothing.”

Lena rested her head on Kara’s shoulder and closed her eyes. It was a simple gesture, but it made Kara’s whole body tingle. Her chest fluttered like mad and she felt like she could never be sad as long as Lena was by her side.

_Am I getting fucking butterflies in my chest? What is happening to me. Be tough Kara. Be strong Kara. Kiss her Kara. Oh stop it!_

Kara smiled and squeezed Lena’s hand.

“Good, I’m glad”, Kara said.

_I want to be you’re happy thought. You’re definitely mine._

Lena popped up to her feet with an energy Kara envied. Kara was exhausted. She hadn’t slept very well and her body was stiff from not sleeping in a bed. None of that mattered when she saw the smile on Lena’s face. All Kara wanted to do was make Lena happy. She knew at that moment that if anyone ever tried to take that smile away from Lena, she would have to shoot them.

“Are you ready to see Paris?”, Lena asked with a sparkle in her eyes.

“Lead the way”, Kara said standing up with far less vigor than Lena. 

Lena grabbed her hand and beamed. Suddenly, Kara felt very anxious. She never felt anxiety. She normally had nerves of steel. She looked at Lena and realized that for the first time since Charlie died, she had something that was precious to her. She had someone who she would run through fire for.

***

Lena and Kara sat close together in the back of a chauffeur driven car. The lights of Paris sparkled almost as much as Lena’s eyes. Kara looked at Lena and her heart filled with a warmth so intense, she shivered. Lena interlaced her fingers with Kara’s and held her hand tight.

“So, what do you think? Spectacular right?”, Lena asked with cheshire-cat grin.

“Truly. It’s gorgeous”, Kara said. She leaned in and whispered to Lena. “You’re gorgeous.”

Lena pressed her cheek against Kara’s. Their chemistry was undeniable. Lena let her lips graze Kara’s cheek and they both closed their eyes.

“Can we stay here forever?”, Lena whispered softly in Kara’s ear. She let her lips rest over Kara’s skin as she spoke. The feeling of Lena’s breath against her ear sent an aching desire shooting through Kara’s entire body like wildfire.

Kara squeezed Lena’s hand tighter.

“What have you done to me Lena Luthor?”, Kara asked with a little grin.

Kara’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and saw there was an email from Cat.

Call me right away.

Lena looked over at Kara’s phone.

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know. It must be important. Cat usually avoids dramatics when she can.”

The car pulled up in front of the Ritz.

“We’re here. I’ll check in and you go call Cat”, Lena said placing a hand on Kara’s cheek. Kara looked deep into Lena’s beautiful eyes and she felt a maddening desire to kiss her. She leaned in and kissed Lena’s cheek softly.

“I’m sure everything is okay”, Kara said with a reassuring smile.

_This can’t be good. If Cat had something simple to say she would have written it in the email._

Lena seemed unshaken and that is exactly what Kara hoped for. She didn’t want her to suffer for a single moment if she could help it.

***

The driver pulled up in front of the hotel. The Ritz was spectacular. It was almost other-worldly. The sparkling lights, the beautiful cars, and the regally dressed porters all lent an air of sophistication and class Kara had never witnessed before.

The porter retrieved their luggage from the car and they made their way inside. Lena walked over to the front desk to check in and Kara found a secluded corner to call Cat.

Kara pulled out her cell. She hit send and watched Lena as she talked to the hotel staff. She watched her smile and gesture. Lena’s smile lit Kara up inside. She paid close attention to her hands. They were so beautiful, soft and warm. Her alabaster skin was heaven to touch. Kara imagined walking over to Lena and wrapping her arms around her waist from behind. She imagined kissing her neck and pulling her close. She wanted to be close to Lena. She needed to be close to her.

Kara was so distracted she didn’t hear Cat until her shrill scream blared through the phone.

“KARA! Can you hear me? Are you there?”

“Hi Cat. Sorry.”

“Are you in Paris?”

“Yeah. We just got to the hotel.”

“Where are you staying?”

“The Ritz. Is everything okay?”

“The guy who took up residence outside Lena Luthor’s apartment is on the Luthor payroll. The license plate was a fake, but you were right about the guy.”

Cat’s voice was strange. Kara knew there had to be more.

“Okay. What else?”

“You were right about him being a heavy. He’s their go-to hitman. Their number one, in fact. I think he wasn’t just there to watch Lena. I think he was there to kill Lena.”

Kara could feel all of the breath leave her body. Her chest tightened and those joyful butterflies were replaced with angry cicadas slicing away at her insides.

“Did you hear me Kara? Are you there?”

“Yeah Cat. Sorry. I haven’t slept. I’m just exhausted. What should we do?”

“Just stay alert. You’re half way around the world now and we have to assume he was too busy trying to put his face back together to notice you two skipping town. God, I hope so. Do you want backup? I can have some agents join you in Paris.”

“No. We’ll be fine.”

“When do you leave?”

“The day after tomorrow. Lena has meetings tomorrow and then we fly out the day after. Even if you sent someone, they wouldn’t be able to do much before we leave.”

Lena came up behind Kara and put a hand on her shoulder. Kara turned and gave Lena a little smile.

“Just stay alert and watch your six. We will stay on Corben and try to figure out what his next move is. He is bound to resurface. We will drag his ass in as soon as we can. Listen Kara, I can tell by your total lack of good judgement that you have feelings for Lena Luthor.”

“Cat…”, Kara said before Cat cut her off.

“Just listen to me Danvers. I need you to stay alert. If the Luthors are after Lena, it is only a matter of time before this shit hits your front door. I know you. You don’t stick your neck out for anyone you don’t care about. Just be careful. I would hate to be the person that gets you killed after you survived being a fucking bounty hunter.”

“Fugitive recovery specialist”, Kara said with a little smile. 

“Jesus Kara. I wish I didn’t like you so much. I would worry far less. Go, enjoy Paris and whatever it is you have with Ms. Luthor, but please, for the love of God, be careful.”

“I will Cat. I’ll be in touch soon.”

“Oh and Kara, don’t do anything stupid I’ll need to clean up. I’m trying to get a promotion you know.”

“I love you too”, Kara replied playfully.

Kara ended the call and took a deep breath. The porter stood behind them waiting to take them up to their room.

“Everything okay? What did Cat say?”, Lena asked.

“Let’s head upstairs and I’ll explain. Did you register under your own name?”

“Nope. I never register under Luthor. I always register under L. Graves.”

“Perfect.”

***

Kara’s primary mission was to keep Lena safe and to try and hide her growing concern for Lena’s safety. When she had her “conversation” with Corben, she had the sense that he was after more than pictures, but she had no clue that the Luthors would send their number one hitman after their own blood. She wanted Lena to feel safe with her. She knew she would have to do her best not to let her worry show.

_Fucking suck it up Kara and smile like you mean it. You have to keep Lena safe and you need her to keep smiling. Don’t be the jerk that takes that smile away._

Kara took Lena’s hand as they followed the porter down the hallway.

_I bashed in the face of the Luthor’s number one hitman. I should be shaken, but fuck that motherfucker. I wish I had killed him while I had the chance._

The elevator stopped at the penthouse.

“How many other guests are on this floor?”, Kara asked the porter calmly.

“No one else. This floor is completely private.”

_Thank God Lena is obscenely rich. At least we are stories up and on a private floor._

“And you need a keycard to access the floor, correct?”, Kara asked.

“Oui. That is correct. No one else can access the floor other than hotel employees.”

“Very good. Thank you.”

The porter lead the way to the penthouse suite. He opened the double doors and Kara stood there for a moment in bewildered awe. It was the largest hotel room she had ever seen. There were multiple rooms and two separate master suites.

_Jesus. This hotel room is bigger than my fucking house._

Lena tipped the porter and closed the door. She turned around and found Kara standing right beside her. Lena moved her hands to her cheeks and beamed.

“All I could think about in the elevator was how stunning you are. Do you know how beautiful you are?” Lena asked with bright eyes and a tender smile.

Kara moved a hand to Lena’s waist and pulled her closer. She looked deep into her eyes.

_I want this so bad. I want you so bad, but I need to stay focused on the fact that your crazy fucking family is trying to kill you. Come on Kara. Stop looking deep into her eyes and tell her what Cat said._

“Are you okay Kara?” Lena could see that Kara was struggling with something. 

“Yeah”, Kara said awkwardly. 

“What did Cat say?”

“Let’s sit down for a second.”

Lena dropped her hands from Kara’s face. Kara felt cold. She craved her touch. She wanted to be irresponsible and just lean into the romance she felt building between them, but she needed to deal with the more important issue of keeping Lena alive.

Lena grabbed Kara’s hand and led her over to the couch.

They sat down and Lena gave Kara the most disarming smile.

_Everything she does, everything she is, sparkles like the stars. Just tell her Kara. _

“Cat confirmed that the guy from outside your apartment, this Corben, is part of the Luthor Crime Syndicate.”

Lena took the information in and gave Kara a sweet smile.

“You had a feeling didn’t you?”

“I didn’t know who else would want pictures of you.”

Kara took Lena’s hand and held it. She looked deep into her eyes and smiled sweetly without a hint of worry showing on her face. 

_If I remain calm, she will remain calm. At least I hope so._

“Lena, there’s more. It turns out Corben is one of their hitmen. He wasn’t an errand boy…and…”, Kara trailed off hesitant to continue.

“And what?” Lena asked.

_I need to be honest with her. She deserves honesty. I know I need to tell her about Charlie, but not now. _

“Cat thinks he was sent to your apartment to kill you, not just take some pictures. It was a good thing you called me when you did.”

Lena’s face dropped and she sat there in contemplative silence for a long minute before she spoke.

She wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck and held her tight.

“Thank you”, Lena said.

“For what?”

“You saved my life, didn’t you?”

“Well, I don’t know if he was planning anything that night. Really, he may have just been taking pictures…”, Kara said before Lena interrupted her.

“You saved my life Kara Danvers. That is just a fact.”

Lena pulled back and looked at Kara with a smile that surprised the bounty hunter. 

“What do we do next?”, Lena asked puffing out her chest. 

“Are you okay?”, Kara asked, a little taken aback.

“I am. Come on. What are our next steps? How do we deal with this? I know you have a plan.”

“Well, we are half way around the world, so I would say you attend your meetings tomorrow and we do everything as planned. We can contact Cat when we get back and see if she has any more intel. You’re handling this surprisingly well.”

“Oh, I am completely terrified, but knowing I have you here with me makes me feel a lot braver. If I didn’t have you...I don’t know what I would do.”

_I am falling so hard for you. I know this is love. God, why did I have to fall in love with a Luthor? Granted, she is the very best of them. Really, she’s the best person I’ve met in a long time. I can feel it in my gut._

“Well, I’m not going anywhere. I will do everything I can to protect you Lena.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

***

Kara and Lena showered and changed their clothes. Lena surprised Kara with room service and champagne. She wore a soft white sweater and a pair of blue jeans. Kara was awestruck by her beauty. She looked so soft. It was hard for Kara to believe that the woman standing before her with damp hair and a goofy grin was a super wealthy media mogul. Kara’s heart melted. To Kara, she wasn’t a Luthor. To Kara, she wasn’t some rich socialite. She was just Lena. She was home.

Kara wore a soft pair of black pants and a tank top. She could feel Lena’s eyes on her as soon as she walked out, and she loved it. She wanted Lena’s attention. She wanted to feel her desire. 

When Kara saw Lena’s surprise, she was deeply touched. She walked up to Lena and placed her hands on her hips. She leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek. Lena caressed Kara’s head and smiled sweetly.

“Thank you for this. I’m starved”, Kara said with a little grin.

“Thank you for coming with me. You’re my hero.”

They ate a quiet supper on the balcony with the lights of Paris twinkling in the backdrop. Kara found a French mix on streaming and played it softly in the background.

Lena smiled at Kara dreamily. Kara smiled back, but all she could think about was the responsibility she had to keep Lena safe.

“Franc for your thoughts?”, Lena asked playfully.

“Casablanca. Great movie”, Kara said.

“So you are a romantic”, Lena said. “‘The romantic bounty hunter’. Sounds like a cheesy romance novel or a super hot porn”, Lena said.

“Wow”, Kara said with a surprised chuckle.

Lena’s face turned red.

“I can’t believe I just said that. What do you do to me? One look into your perfect blue eyes and I lose all of my filters.”

“You don’t need to filter yourself Lena. Not with me. To tell you the truth I have been filtering myself with you too. Pretty much since you yelled at me in your office.”

“I am so sorry, Kara. You must have thought I was completely insane.”

“I thought you were passionate, scarred, and the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. You’re so eloquent and sophisticated. If you knew how much I actually swore you would probably run for the hills. My default conversational style is somewhere between sailor and long haul trucker.”

Lena laughed so hard she almost fell out of her chair.

_I love how dorky that was. She can do dorky. This is good. Nia is going to love her._

Lena reached across the table and took Kara’s hand. Her face softened. 

“Please don’t filter yourself with me. I know this uptight Connecticut bitch exterior of mine makes me come across a little holier than thou ,but please trust me…I can swear like a sailor too. Mostly when I’m driving. You would be horrified. Kara, I adore you…filthy mouth and all.”

_I love your eyes so much, Lena. I feel like I could stare into them all night. I feel like I’m being hypnotized. _

Kara felt like she was under some maddening spell with no means of escape, and she liked it very much. 

“I adore you Lena. More than my sailor mouth could possibly describe with words.”

“If you don’t mind me saying…your mouth is all I can concentrate on right now”, Lena said biting her lip and staring at Kara’s mouth.

“Lena Luthor, are you coming on to me?”, Kara asked playfully.

Suddenly there was a loud thud above them, and they heard an object fall onto the balcony. Kara immediately tensed. She got up from her seat and found the object. It was a black military style knife. She put the knife in her back pocket and looked up.

“Lena, go inside right now and lock all of the doors and windows”, Kara said with an intensity Lena dare not question.

Lena got up and ran inside the hotel room and closed the balcony doors. She watched Kara nervously. Kara looked up and surveyed the building for a moment.

_Fuck. I guess this shit landed on my front door sooner than I thought. Barefoot and unarmed. Awesome. I can’t take the time to grab shoes. He might already be gone._

Lena watched helplessly as Kara looked around for an answer. Without warning, Kara leapt onto the edge of the balcony and with cat-like precision, she jumped up and grabbed onto a thin ledge that ran along the building. She hoisted herself up and jumped up again, grabbing the edge of the roof. She hoisted herself up once more and threw her body over the edge onto roof of the hotel.

Kara pulled out the knife and opened it up. She searched the roof for movement, but it was too dark and the whole expanse before her was in shadow. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and tried to shut out all the noise of the city. She allowed her other senses to take over. She listened carefully. Kara heard a sound. She threw the knife hard and ran over to see if she made contact with the blade. She found nothing but the knife sticking into the wall.

She looked around but there was no one on the roof. Whoever dropped the knife appeared to be gone or had ducked into the hotel. Kara pulled the knife out of the wall. She hoped she might be able to get prints off the knife, but she knew if the owner was a pro, there would be no prints. Kara needed to get back to Lena right away. She knew she needed to stop swooning like a lovesick teenager and find the Luthors before it was too late.

Every part of her wanted to go after the knife’s owner, but she promised she wouldn’t leave Lena’s side and she meant it. Kara returned to her point of entry and threw herself back over the edge of the roof. She flung herself over and dropped down to the thin ledge and back down to the balcony.

When she landed, Lena was standing at the balcony doors with her face pressed to the glass. She looked terrified. Kara gave Lena a little smile and a thumbs up. Lena opened the doors and ran out to Kara. She threw her arms around her and held on tight. Lena shook uncontrollably and let out the smallest whimper. Kara squeezed Lena harder and tried to calm her down.

“Hey…everything’s okay. Breathe.”

“What was that? Did you really just leap onto the roof like Spider-Man? Was there anyone up there?”

“Spider-Man?”, Kara asked with a little smile. “My father was a stuntman. He taught me how climb pretty much anything that can be climbed. No, I didn’t find anyone up there. The owner of the knife is long gone.”

“I was so scared something might happen to you”, Lena said shakily. “This all feels way too real.”

“I’m fine. Come on. Let’s go inside”, Kara said pulling back and taking Lena’s hand. She guided her over to the couch and they sat down. She wrapped a supportive arm around Lena and spoke softly.

“Hey…everything’s okay.”

“I know. I’m trying to calm myself down. I was just so scared. The crazy thing is that I didn’t care about my own safety. I was just worried about you. I still can’t believe that parkour shit. Wow!”

“Don’t be scared. You never need to be afraid with me. I’m fine and I promise I am going to protect you. I don’t know what happened on the roof before I got there, but I am going to call security and let them know to run a sweep of the whole hotel. You grab a drink and relax.”

Kara reached forward to grab the hotel phone and Lena pulled her back to the couch. She threw her arms around Kara and pressed her lips to Kara’s cheek.

“You can call but I’m holding onto you”, Lena said, shaken and terrified. 

***

After Kara called security, she sent Cat an update on their current situation and checked in with Nia to let her know that they were alive and in one piece.

Lena was still terribly shaken. Kara could feel her tension and all she wanted to do was calm her down and bring her a little peace. Lena followed Kara as she checked the balcony once more and locked everything up tight.

Lena let out a big yawn. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and gave her a sad smile. She caressed her head and moved a soft hand to her cheek.

“You’re exhausted. Why don’t you go get some sleep?”

“What about you?”

“I doubt I can sleep. I’ll probably continue to look through the dossier and see if I can find any clues that might lead me to Lex and Lillian.”

“Can I help you? Just for a little bit. I can tell you what little I know. It might help.”

“Are you sure? We can do it in the morning.”

“I want to be with you”, Lena said with longing in her eyes.

Kara gave Lena a smile. She grabbed a blanket from the bedroom and they sat close together on the couch. Kara laid the blanket over Lena and pulled out her laptop.

“Okay. So we have a lot of assumptions in the dossier, but not a lot of facts about them as people.”

“One thing that is probably traceable is Lillian’s obsession with Mercedes. Wherever they go, no matter how remote, they always manage to get a fleet of Mercedes Benz SUVs for their entire crew. It’s the weirdest thing. She will only ride in a Mercedes.”

“Cat can definitely use that.”

“Lex has asthma. It’s super bad. He has to carry an inhaler with him at all times. He is really dependent on his medication. He is also incredibly superstitious. He is unnerved by silly things like broken mirrors, the number 13, black cats and people opening umbrellas indoors.”

“I like that. Anything we can do to unnerve him will help”, Kara said gritting her teeth.

“Lillian will only smoke German cigarettes and she hates me with a fury that is unrivaled. She’s such a bitch. She also wears this God awful perfume called ‘Ode Jasmine’. It smells like a funeral home. I don’t know if she still wears the stuff, but every time I smell Jasmine I want to scream.”

Kara could see Lena was getting upset. She wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

“I think that’s enough for tonight. Come on. You need to get some sleep.”

“Are you going to stay here?”

“I am”, Kara said.

_Even though every part of me wants to take you into my room and make love to you until we can’t feel our legs. I want to be close to you so bad, but I know that I need to concentrate on your safety first. My desires can’t disturb my logic or distract me from my responsibilities. I have to keep you safe. Your smile is changing me. I feel myself wanting to be softer with you, but I need to stay pissed. I need to stay hardened otherwise I will be too terrified to lose you. The thing that keeps me brave is feeling like I have nothing to live for. I lost that when I lost Charlie and now I feel like you’re giving me a reason to live. Shit. Get it together Kara! _

“Can I stay too? Just for a little bit. I promise I’ll close my eyes”, Lena said with an irresistible little grin. 

Kara moved her laptop up to the arm of the couch. She helped Lena lay down on her lap. She caressed her hair gently and smiled.

Lena closed her eyes and within a matter of seconds, Kara could hear her breathing change and feel her body go slack. Kara caressed her hair softly. It was shiny, black and smooth as silk. Kara imagined what it would feel like to get lost in all of that hair as they made love, and she could feel a warmth wash over her from head to toe.

_Sleep well Lena. You have my heart. No matter what comes our way, I will protect you with my life._


	7. Why Can’t I Breathe?

When Kara awoke the next morning, her body was even more stiff and achey. She had fallen asleep sitting up again.

_I’m getting too old for this, but I just can’t let her go. Look at her. She is so perfect. The way the sunlight is hitting her face. That lucky sliver of sunlight. I could live there, resting against her cheek forever. What did I do to deserve this? Why do I feel so breathless when I look at her? Jesus, I’m a mess._

Kara needed to sleep in a bed soon or her body was going to give out completely. She looked down at Lena sleeping on her lap and her heart felt full. She had absolutely no regrets. She moved a hand to Lena’s hairline and caressed her head gently. She lightly brushed her fingertips along Lena’s nose and whispered her name.

“Lena”, Kara whispered.

Lena’s eyes opened and she smiled sweetly when she saw Kara’s eyes looking back at her.

She moved a hand to Kara’s cheek and caressed it gently.

“I love waking up to your beautiful smile. There’s no better way to greet the day. I am so sorry I fell asleep on you again. Your body must be so done with falling asleep sitting up.”

Kara grinned and placed her hand over Lena’s as it rested on her cheek.

“I’m fine as long as you are.”

_I don’t want to fight this anymore. I want you so bad. I want to taste your lips so bad._

“What time is it? Did I oversleep?”, Lena asked.

“Not at all. It’s early. I figured it would nice if you had a chance to awaken slowly and eat some breakfast before your meetings.”

“Thank you so much, Kara. You really do think of everything.”

“Why don’t you go get cleaned up and I’ll order breakfast?”, Kara suggested with a wink.

Lena sat up and sidled up next to Kara. She looped her arm through Kara’s and leaned her head against her shoulder.

_There go those butterflies again. Go away you little fuckers. I need to concentrate._

“Thank you again for being here with me”, Lena said with a genuine smile.

“You don’t have to thank me Lena. My heart wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here. This is exactly where I belong.”

Lena laid her hand on Kara’s and closed her eyes.

“Order something grand for breakfast. I’m starved and I feel like something decadent and Parisian.”

“Why don’t you order the breakfast. My knowledge of decadent French cuisine is limited”, Kara said with an embarrassed blush on her cheek.

Lena grinned and rubbed Kara’s face softly with the back of her hand.

“No problem. You handle scaling the buildings and beating up the creeps and I will order breakfast” Lena said with a sweet sparkle in her eyes. “It’s the least I can do.”

***

Kara walked out into the living room. She was wearing her sharpest black suit with a jet black dress shirt. The suit hugged her in all the right places. Her shiny blonde locks cascaded down over her shoulders majestically.

Lena walked out into the living room and Kara felt a warmth spread through every inch of her body. Lena wore a pinstriped Suit dress with a long matching pin stripped coat. She wore matching heels and tasteful jewelry. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and she wore the most vibrant red lipstick.

Lena sauntered over to Kara and smiled.

“Lena, you are absolutely stunning”, Kara said with a flirty grin.

_I want to kiss you until all of that lipstick is gone._

“Are you kidding? Only you could make a black suit look that good”, Lena said with an equally flirtatious tone.

Lena grabbed Kara’s lapels and smoothed them out gently. She placed her hands on Kara’s chest and looked deep into her eyes.

“My meetings should only go until about two or so. I can’t wait to show you Paris. If we’re lucky it will rain.”

“Really? Why would rain be lucky?”

“Paris is at its very best when it rains. The city smells fresh and clean. No one carries an umbrella. The city is full of people happily soaked through without a care in the world. Paris fills you with an unspeakable joy and life that just can’t be described. It just has to be experienced. The thing I love the most is that I get to watch you take it all in for the first time.”

Kara opened her suit coat and checked her weapon. She motioned toward the door and smiled.

“Shall we Ms. Luthor?”, Kara asked with a wink.

Lena stepped forward and Kara placed a hand on Lena’s back.

“I’m sorry, but I will have to stay very close to you today”, Kara whispered softly.

“Don’t be sorry. I wouldn’t have it any other way”, Lena said with a sultry tone.

***

When they climbed into the back of the car, Kara immediately noticed two things about their driver. Her first observation was that he was the same driver from the evening before. Her second observation was that he was much more fabulous during the day time. He was wearing a smidge of eyeliner, had a dusting of glitter on his shoulders and a eighties pop collection played softly in the background. Kara was pretty sure the current selection was “Burning Up”, by Madonna.

Kara smiled and Lena took her hand.

“I love your beautiful smile. What are you thinking right at this moment?”

“That I can’t wait until your meetings are over”, Kara said with a playfully suggestive tone.

“Same here gorgeous. Same here.”

“So you have three meetings today?”

“I do. One with the Editor in Chief of France’s largest fashion magazine, one with a brilliant up and coming director and the last one is actually an ex arms dealer I had a brief fling with back in the day. She asked if we could meet out of the blue. She’s become a weird environmental freak. I’m sure she wants to see me about saving the otters or the butterflies or something.”

“I’m trying very hard not to be jealous and impressed that you dated an ex arms dealer.”

“Don’t be. She was dreadful. She was rude and condescending. If I wanted that treatment, I would have dated a man. Her energy was toxic and she wasn’t half as stunning as you are. She isn’t half the woman you are. If I haven't said it, I adore you. Besides, she was an arms dealer, but she had no skills of her own when it came to defending herself. She had a dozen bodyguards with thick necks and no brains. She was a mess.”

“Why did you agree to see her if she’s so terrible?”

“She sounded upset. She said that she had a story she wanted me to consider running through the circuit.”

“What’s ‘the circuit’?”

“Well, ‘the circuit’ would be me running the story through the magazine, the TV news show and our online outlets. The story would hit everyone in the world with two eyeballs who could read at at least a fifth grade reading level.

We rarely run stories that way because different forms of media cater to different people. Some twenty-year old millennial may not give two shits about people starving in the Sudan, but they would care about Ariana Grande’s new album hitting the shelves.”

Kara leaned in and whispered softly in Lena’s ear.

“I adore you too”, Kara said pressing her lips to Lena’s ear softly. The air danced over Lena’s skin and she shivered with longing.

Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s arm and whispered back.

“My beautiful lionheart. My beautiful sweet lionheart.”

Kara noticed the driver look back at them in the rearview mirror and smile.

Kara liked the driver. There was something oddly calming about his kind smile and his glitter.

The car came to a stop in front of the Tour Carpe Diem. It was a massive skyscraper located in the La Défense business district.

“You ready for this?”, Lena asked.

“Absolutely. I’ll be right there by your side.”

***

After three long meetings spanning over five very long hours, they returned to the safety of the car. Kara couldn’t explain it, but knowing they had to be on their best behavior made her mind drift to the most terribly naughty places. She stood in the corner during the first meeting and wondered what it would be like to take a bubble bath with Lena. She closed her eyes and imagined nothing separating their bodies but warm water and bubbles, and her body shook with desire.

During her second meeting, Kara stood behind Lena and imagined what it would be like to reach down and kiss her neck softly. She imagined unzipping her dress and running her hand down the milky white flesh of her perfect back. She closed her eyes and imagined kneeling down before her and hiking up her dress. She wondered what it would be like to kiss the bare flesh of Lena’s thighs and all she wanted to do was pick Lena up and bridal carry her to the nearest bed.

Lena’s third meeting she took in private with Kara standing outside. It was very difficult for Kara not to be jealous of Lena’s ex-arms dealer/ex-girlfriend. Kara wanted to storm into the room, grab Lena in her arms and kiss her until their mouths went numb. That didn’t appear to be an option.

When Lena walked out of the room, she walked over to Kara and took her hand. The moment her skin touched Kara’s, all negativity washed away and all Kara could do was smile like an idiot.

“So, the rest of the day is ours. I have a whole list of wonderful things for us to do. First, to the Eiffel Tower, then to the Butte Montmartre. You will love the Butte Montmarte. It is so French and artistic. It is one of my favorite places in Paris.”

Kara pulled Lena closer and kissed her cheek.

“Well then I’m sure it will be one of my favorites too.”

“We will go to the Wall of Love and the Pont des Arts. We will have dinner at Le Cinq and finish the evening with a walk along the banks of the Seine.”

Kara looked at Lena and her heart filled with a warmth and desire she had never felt before. Lena was so excited she could barely contain herself. Kara liked seeing Lena excited. She wanted to see her that excited, laying naked in her arms.

***

After they finished a rich and decadent dinner at Le Cinq, they took a romantic stroll along the Seine. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s arm and held her close.

“Was I wrong? Isn’t this city magical?”

“The city is magical and so are your eyes”, Kara said sweetly.

Lena stopped walking and pulled Kara close. She wrapped her arms around her waist, and moved a single hand to Kara’s chest right above her heart.

“Kara, everything in me is telling me that you need to concentrate on keeping me safe. I know you need to have no distractions and keep your distance, but if I don’t kiss you soon I think I’ll die from longing.”

Kara looked deep into Lena’s perfect green eyes. The lights of the city sparkled there. Kara moved a hand to Lena’s cheek and pressed her lips to Lena’s softly. She tasted like the chocolate from their soufflé and the champagne they toasted with at the end of the meal. Lena wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck and pulled her in closer. Her tongue pressed between Kara’s lips and searched wildly for satisfaction. Kara’s tongue met Lena’s , and suddenly everything just made sense.

It didn’t matter what Kara’s mission was. It didn’t matter what prejudices Lena harbored against law enforcement. Kara and Lena met for a reason. As they stood there with the beautiful lights of Paris twinkling in the backdrop, nothing else mattered.

Kara and Lena held each other closer and continued to press their mouths together in a fit of wild and desperate yearning. Lena grabbed Kara’s lapels and raised an eyebrow seductively. She whispered softly in Kara’s ear.

“I want you so bad. I need to discover what’s under this suit. I want to feel your skin against mine. I want to hear you moan softly in my ear as I bring you pleasure you have never experienced before.”

Kara could feel a tingle spread up through her body from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. The tingle continued to travel and rested somewhere between her belly button and her thighs. She quaked with desire.

“Call the car now”, Kara said with an authoritative tone. Lena grinned and placed both of her hands on Kara’s chest.

“Yes mistress.”

She leaned in and kissed Kara softly on the lips.

***

When the car pulled up about ten minutes later, Kara was relieved. She was dangerously close to ripping Lena’s dress off and taking her along the banks of the Seine.

The minute they climbed into the car, Lena attacked Kara with a feverish hunger. She climbed on top of her and began to grind against Kara hungrily.

Kara was so lost in the moment it took her a second to figure out something was wrong. The music…it was all wrong. The driver was different. He smelled like bad cologne and American oldies played on the radio.

_Shit. This is definitely not glitter driver._

Lena continue her assault on Kara’s mouth. Kara had to fight with all of her might to keep her eyes open because everything Lena did felt so good. She looked at the driver. He was a big guy. He had a tattoo on his hand and Kara could see the familiar bulge of a weapon popping through his suit jacket. She didn’t know Paris, but her skills of observation were telling her that they were not headed back to their hotel.

Kara pulled Lena closer and whispered softly in her ear.

“When I tap your leg, get down on the ground as low as you can and protect your neck like an earthquake drill.”

Lena’s face dropped for a moment. Kara leaned in and continued to whisper.

“Everything will be okay baby. Just breathe”

Kara watched the driver. She suspected he would be able to best her even if she had the element of surprise and could get leverage over him. She needed to rely on shock and pain to get her through this fight.

https://open.spotify.com/track/3IRPXhATEpYUrSA7Fp3Yd4?si=G37OIqJBQsGKlE3Ci4tKWg

The car came to a stop at a light. Kara gave Lena a tap on the leg and she rolled off Kara’s lap and onto the floor of the back seat. She raised her head slightly and watched as Kara leaned forward and punched the driver as hard as she could at the base of his skull. He yelped out in pain and fell forward. Kara dove in between the two front seats and slipped her hand into his jacket and grabbed his weapon. He began to flail his arms and knocked the gun out of her hand. The driver punched Kara in the face with shocking brutality. She was a bit dazed, but as usual, pain only fueled her crazy. She grabbed his huge face and gave him a hard head butt.

_Note to self: Get a catscan when all of this is done._

All of a sudden, he hit the gas and the car flew down the busy Paris street with no attentive driver at the wheel. He pulled out a knife and stuck it deep into Kara’s arm.

“Well now you’ve done it you fuck face”, Kara said yanking the knife out of her arm. She gave him a little smile and instinctively, he panicked.

He tried to wrestle the knife out of her hands as the car veered more and more out of control. Kara took the knife and stabbed it in the driver’s leg with all of her strength. She turned around and saw they were headed for a large fountain. Kara quickly unbuckled the driver’s seatbelt and dove into the back seat. She wrapped her body around Lena’s as the car crashed into the fountain. The driver was catapulted forward from the impact and flew out the window and onto the unforgiving concrete. The car spun out of control and landed about 6 inches away from a busy outdoor cafe. The patrons all stood around aghast.

Kara could feel the pain from her stab wound and the shards of glass embedded in her skin but all she cared about was Lena.

Kara pulled her body up slowly as the patrons from the cafe and other onlookers started to surround the car.

“Lena…are you okay? Lena?”

Lena raised her body up slowly and looked around. Kara could tell she was in shock. She was pale and sweaty. Her whole body was shaking and she looked dazed. Kara placed a bracing hand on her cheek and gave her a concerned smile.

“Everything is okay baby. Just breathe.”

Lena exhaled sharply and threw her arms around Kara’s neck. She held on tight and gasped for air through her sobs.

Kara held Lena close and rubbed her back.

“Are you injured? Do you feel any pain?”, Kara asked.

Lena shook her head and continued to squeeze her with all of her might. Kara leaned over and opened the car door. It was a little jammed. Kara motioned for Lena to move behind her and she gave the door a firm kick with both legs. The door flew open and Kara emerged, bleeding, battered, but still alive. All of the onlookers approached and asked Kara if they were okay in French. The sound of sirens filled the air as police cars, fire trucks and ambulances pulled up, filling the already packed city street.

Kara put a hand out to Lena. Blood dripped down her hand from her wound. Lena stood up and looked down at Kara’s arm.

“You’re injured. Kara…are you okay? I am so sorry”, Lena said wrapping her arms around Kara’s neck.

Suddenly they heard someone behind them clear their throat. A tall red headed woman stepped forward. She had to be about six feet tall and she wore a black suit. She gave Kara and Lena a kind and disarming smile.

“Bonjour. Est ce que ça va?”, the Amazonian red head asked.

“I don’t speak French and my friend here is in shock. Do you speak English?”, Kara asked.

“Oh, of course. My name is Detective Bisset. Are you two okay?”

“I have a couple of wounds and Lena here is in shock.”

Detective Bisset waived over the medical response team.

“We will get you help right away. Can you tell me what happened?”

“We might need a translator for this one. It’s a bit complicated.”

***

Kara and Lena sat on the back of an ambulance. One paramedic wrapped a blanket around Lena’s shoulder while the other paramedic treated Kara’s stab wound and her other cuts.

Detective Bisset stood off to the side listening to Kara and Lena’s story.

“Thank you for the information. I will reach out to your superior and confirm your position. Your story is too fantastic to believe so it must be true. We have confirmed that the driver is dead and there is no identification on the body. We will work on confirming his identity and we should be able to wrap up the investigation in a few days. When were you two planning on leaving?”

“We are supposed to fly out tomorrow morning”, Lena said shakily.

“I am so sorry. We will need you to stay in Paris for a few more days until we can finish our investigation. We will provide a security detail while you are in Paris and we will speak to the hotel security to make sure everything is completely secured. I’m sorry to keep you in Paris longer than you expected, but hopefully you can make the best out of this difficult situation.”

Kara looked around at the lights of Paris.

“I am sure there are more terrible places to be trapped.”

The paramedics finished treating Kara and Lena and took a step back.

“We will have someone drive you back to the hotel right now. I will be in touch sometime tomorrow. I will probably have more questions but I suggest you two go back to the hotel and get some sleep.”

“Thank you detective”, Kara said.

“Yes, thank you”, Lena said still visibly shaken.

***

When Kara and Lena returned to the hotel room, it was late. Two policemen took up residence outside of their suite and the rest of the security team was posted around the perimeter of the hotel. Kara and Lena cuddled up on the couch hoping to decompress and unwind. Kara held Lena close. Lena was still rattled.

“I’m so sorry I’m having such a hard time calming down. You’d think I’d be used to this stuff by now.”

“You have no reason to apologize. I’m sorry things got so crazy in the car. I had to act fast. He could have easily turned around and shot us both. I don’t know where he was taking us, but it sure wasn’t back to the hotel.”

“You handled everything beautifully. It was like watching a spy movie. I just hate that you were injured. How does your arm feel?”

“I’m fine. My body has seen worse.”

“Is that why you’re so calm? You go through this stuff a lot don’t you? I am feeling very uncool right now.”

“You’re doing just fine. Life as a bounty hunter requires equal parts lack of self preservation, mental illness and a dash of sass mouth for fun. It’s a crazy cocktail of sorts.”

“Don’t you mean life as a ‘Fugitive Recovery Specialist’”?, Lena asked with the sweetest, most infectious smile.

“Touché”, Kara said with a wink.

“How did you know there was something wrong in the car? It all happened so fast.”

“Our driver. One minute he is a glitter-bedazzled-girl-pop fan and the next minute he’s a big hairy American oldies fan. It seemed wrong. It took me a little longer to catch on because someone I know was distracting me with her feminine wiles.”

Lena blushed a little.

“I’m so sorry. I can see why you need to be able to concentrate. I hope you don’t want to take it all back.”

Kara took Lena’s hand and pulled her over to her lap.

“Come here”, Kara said sweetly.

Lena moved into Kara’s lap and cuddled up. She wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck and kissed her with a feverish passion. Her insatiable hunger for Lena’s kisses was not extinguished by the unfortunate events of the evening. Their brush with danger only intensified Kara’s feelings. Lena pulled Kara in closer. Kara winced a little. Her neck was killing her. Lena noticed that Kara was in pain.

“Are you okay? Do you have another injury? Did something happen in the car?”

“No. This is kind of embarrassing. I have a kink in my neck from sleeping sitting up. I think I’m just getting old”, Kara said adorably honest.

Lena laughed and began to give Kara a neck massage. She pressed her fingers deep into Kara’s shoulders and Kara closed her eyes and moaned happily. Lena pressed her thumbs into Kara’s flesh and Kara let out a low growl.

“You know…when I said I wanted to make you moan…this is not exactly what I was picturing”, Lena whispered with a little smile.

Kara opened her eyes and kissed Lena’s nose playfully. She was surprised to feel Lena still shaking.

“Lena, are you sure you’re okay? You’re still shaking.”

“I know I said this last night, but this is all feeling way too real. I just don’t understand why they are coming after me now.”

“I think this is all my fault. I think my coming to see you may have been the catalyst. I never should have come to your office.”

Lena rubbed the back of Kara’s neck and gently scratched at the base of her skull. This small movement sent excited shivers up and down Kara’s spine.

“Look at what I have right here. I have you. Ask me if I regret a single thing that happened during the last couple of days…I don’t. I am exactly where I need to be with exactly who I want to be with. This is all terrifying, but I have you and I can get through anything with you by my side.”

“But still…you shake.”

“I’ll calm down.”

“I have an idea”, Kara said kissing Lena’s nose and moving to stand. Lena stood up and moved back. Kara put a hand out to Lena and smiled.

“Dance with me?”

Lena smiled. She reached over and opened a playlist on her phone. “Cry to Me”, by Solomon Burke played through the penthouse speakers.

https://open.spotify.com/track/1tYk5zABu6h8CMP1cSea56?si=hlnZcGueTPqEA-nkkdaM1w

Lena moved close to Kara and wrapped her arms around her neck. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena’s waist tight and pressed her cheek to Lena’s. Their bodies swayed to the music. Kara kissed Lena’s cheek softly. She let her lips travel over Lena’s ear, and down her neck slowly. Kara felt Lena’s hands drop from her neck and move down to her shirt. She continued to sway to the music and grind rhythmically against Kara. She quickly and expertly unbuttoned Kara’s shirt and pulled it back. She leaned in and kissed Kara’s chest. Kara took a hand and lifted Lena’s face to her own. She grabbed her close and kissed her with all of the frenzied longing in her heart.

Kara pulled back and moved a strand of hair out of Lena’s face.

“Lena, I want to be closer to you. I need you so bad.”

Lena let go of Kara and took Kara’s hand.

“Come with me my beautiful hero”, Lena said with a seductive tone. I’m going to run you a hot bath and give you a long massage. I can personally guarantee that you will be sleeping in a bed tonight…well eventually.”


	8. Scars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena have just shared a night of passion. Things quickly heat up when Detective Bisset pays a visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay updating this story. Thanks for your patience.

Lena laid her head on Kara’s naked chest and closed her eyes. She ran her fingers through Kara’s blonde locks and let out a sigh of pure contentment.

The normally gruff and gritty bounty hunter smiled and wrapped her arms around Lena, kissing her head and letting out a contented sigh of her own. She ran her fingertips over Lena’s back so gently, Lena purred like a kitten.

Lena sat up and looked into Kara’s eyes. She kissed her lips softly and smiled.

“How am I so relaxed?”, Lena asked. “A hitman literally tried to kill us last night.”

“Twenty hitmen could come at me right now, and I think I would just lay here and grin like an idiot”, Kara pressed a hand to Lena’s cheek and stared into her eyes dreamily.

Lena laughed and rubbed Kara’s chest.

“I still owe you that massage”, Lena said playfully.

“After what you did last night, you don’t owe me anything”, Kara said with a devilish grin. “I think I owe you, and then some.”

Lena ran a hand along a long scar on Kara’s chest. She leaned in and kissed it softly.

“What happened here my brave lionheart?, Lena asked.

“You don’t want to hear that story. Ask me how I got the scar on the back of my neck. That involved too much champagne, a ladder and a poorly placed banana peel.”

“Please baby. It must have been so painful. I know there’s a story.”

“It’s a bit dark. A convicted child molester jumped bail and kidnapped a kid in Arizona. The FBI was called in to find the guy, but I caught the recovery through the bail bondsman and went after him. He was planning on killing the child and himself, so he had no fear and he was completely unpredictable. It was one of the rare cases where I was pretty sure I was going to die. He stabbed me with a giant knife and I almost bled out, but not before I shot him right through the heart. I would have been content dying right there knowing he was gone and the kid was safe, but somehow I pulled through. All that matters is the kid made it home to his family and that stupid child-molesting-shit-fuck is six feet under.”

Lena ran her hand along the scar and looked deep into Kara’s eyes with love and admiration.

“You have so many scars”, Lena said running her hands over Kara’s arms, stomach and neck. You’ve seen so much. I hate that you almost died. That really scares me.”

“Don’t be scared baby. Like I said, that kid is okay, so it was worth it. I try not to do stupid shit that will get me stabbed, but I can’t make any promises.”

Lena giggled and gave Kara a little jab in the ribs.

“Don’t say that! You are so lucky you’re cute. God, I love how badass you are. I know I sound like a total dork but it’s true. You are so fucking hot.”

“Lena! Language!”, Kara said jokingly. “My poor virgin ears.”

Lena grabbed Kara and gave her a playful tickle.

“Says the bounty hunter with the mouth like a sailor”, Lena said already knowing what was coming.

Kara and Lena both spoke in unison.

“Fugitive Recovery Specialist!”

They both laughed.

A loud knock on the door gave them both a start.

Lena rolled off of Kara and laid next to her on the same pillow. Kara instinctively reached for her weapon, but quickly considered that it might just be someone who works for the hotel. 

“Can we just stay here and pretend we’re asleep?”, Lena snuggled up to Kara and pressed her lips to her neck.

Kara immediately relaxed at Lena’s warm touch. She wrapped her arms around Lena and pulled her in tight.

“Only if you promise to let me repay you for last night”, Kara said moving under the blankets.

Kara’s phone vibrated on the bedside table. Kara popped her head out of the blanket and grabbed her phone.

“I’m sorry baby. I should get this just in case there’s news.”

“Fine, but you’re going to get a spanking later”, Lena said seductively.

“Jesus. Who are you and where have your been my whole life?”

***

When Kara answered her phone and realized the knock at the door was Detective Bisset, she apologized and both her and Lena threw on their robes to greet her. Lena couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She wanted an update on their attacker as badly as Kara did, but she did not like the way Detective Bisset looked at Kara. 

Kara opened the door and the fiery-haired Detective shot her a smile so laced with sexual desire that Lena grabbed Kara’s arm and pulled her back.

“Bonjour Detective”, Lena said with a biting tone.

_She’s mine. Back off you French slut._

“May I come in for a moment? I have a few items I would like to discuss with you”, the statuesque redhead said looking them both up and down as she stepped inside.

“Of course. Please, have a seat”, Kara said pointing to the couch.

Bisset ignored Kara’s invitation and remained standing.

“We ran the man who attacked you through TESTA, which is much like your American CODIS, and we returned a name. Jean Paul Monte AKA the Jaguar. He was a ruthless hitman who has managed to avoid capture for over a decade. We were able to confirm that he does have ties to the Luthor Crime Syndicate. It looks like your story is true, and I truly believe you are both in danger.”

“We have no reason to lie”, Lena said trying to bury her irritation. “We were the victims. I’m not sure why you feel it necessary to treat us like suspects”, Lena bit her lip hoping she could control any further outbursts.

_I wish I could hit this woman in the face, but I would have to climb a ladder. I wish she would just leave so I can wrap myself up in Kara’s arms. _

“Did you receive a call from Cat Grant?”, Kara asked pulling Lena’s hand to her lap and caressing it tenderly.

Lena calmed at Kara’s touch. They were good for each other.

“We did. My boss received a call early this morning confirming you are who you say you are and she briefed him on your mission to find the Reznikov family. It sounds dangerous to me. I have been authorized to offer you both the protection of the French Police. We can protect you if you stay here.”

“Thank you for the offer Detective but we need to keep moving. We have already been attacked twice and there is no telling how many times they will try again. Are we free to leave?” Kara asked. 

Lena shifted in her seat uncomfortably when she saw Bisset looking Kara up and down shamelessly.

“Oui. You are free to leave but I think it would be wise to consider the protection we offer.”

Kara looked at Lena and gave her a sad smile.

“The Detective is not wrong Lena. It would be safer for you if you were protected by an entire police force or the Marshals. Cat said she can send a team.”

Lena didn’t care whether the French Slut was looking on. She grabbed Kara’s arms and pulled her close.

“Where you go, I go. This is our fight now. You are the only person on this planet I trust to protect me. I don’t need the Marshals and I definitely don’t need the French police. I just need you my lionheart.”

Kara placed a hand on Lena’s cheek.

“That’s good enough for me.” Kara turned back to Detective Bisset. Thank you Detective, but I think we will be flying out of Paris today.”

“Pitié. J'aurais aimé mieux vous connaître au lit. Je veux connaître votre goût”, Bisset whispered under her breath.

Loosely translated, this meant “Pity. I would have liked to get to know you better in bed. I want to know your taste.”

Lena spoke French fluently and understood every word she said. Lena smiled at Bisset sweetly and replied in French.

“Je suis le seul à goûter à Kara. Il est temps que tu partes avant que je te montre ce qui se passe quand je suis en colère”, Lena said pulling Kara closer.

Loosely translated, this meant “I am the only one who will taste Kara. I suggest you leave before I show you what happens when I get angry.”

Kara looked on very confused. She watched the tennis match of words going back and forth and wondered what it all meant. They both smiled, but the two women seemed to practically vibrate with tension.

“Very good, I will get out of your hair”, Bisset said turning towards the door. “You have my information. Call me if you run into trouble. Where will you go next?”

As if by kismet or some other cosmic force, Kara received a text from Cat at that very moment. She looked at her phone.

_We think we found them. Lena’s clues helped us pinpoint a location. Call me._

Kara looked up.

“I don’t know where yet, but it looks like Cat has a lead. Thank you again Detective.”

Bisset opened the door and left without another word. She looked back and made eye contact with Lena. The look was not one of anger or jealously. It was a look of respect. Lena puffed out her chest and raised her head up high. She took Kara’s hand and grinned. 

_She’s mine. Don’t you ever forget it._

***

“Hey Cat. I got your text. Where are they?”, Kara spoke loudly into the speakerphone.

“Before I tell you, promise me you’ll stay calm.”

“Calm? Why?”

“I think you should bring _her_ in.”

“Her? Lena? No. Lena wants to stay with me.”

“Not Lena. If she wants our help she will always have it but no. I mean _her_.”

“Where are they Cat?”, Kara asked tensing up.

“They left Helsinki heading North. It looks like they are headed to Turku, but they might be headed further north. They rented a fleet of Mercedes, just as Lena said, and they are masquerading as Russian tourists.”

“Fuck. Do I really need to bring _her_ into this?”

“You should. She’s CIA and I am sure if you two could get past your big heads and your bruised egos you would be able to work together.”

“Fine, but if I end up with another stab wound you’re explaining it to Lena.”

Lena looked on horrified. Kara smiled and rubbed her cheek reassuringly.

“Call me when you get there. I suggest you don’t give her warning. It will give her less time to get pissed and arm herself. I am texting you her current address. Be safe and call if you need us.”

Kara ended the call and tossed the phone onto the table.

“Who are we going to see? Who is this person you’re afraid is going to stab you?”

“My sister, Alex. Let’s just say, we have a complicated relationship.”


	9. When They Fight, They Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and Lena travel to Finland to find Alex and her beautiful wife Sam. Kara and Alex have a killer reunion and Lena learns a little more about the Danvers sisters complicated dynamic.

Lena was genuinely surprised when Kara pulled up in front of the quaint little blue and white house at the end of a quiet Finnish street.

The city of Järvenpää was just forty minutes north of Helsinki. It was a peaceful little town, a surprising home for a woman her brave Kara feared would stab her on sight.

Kara cut the engine on the rental car and let out a sharp sigh.

“This is a mistake. I can’t believe Cat thought this was a good idea.”

“Has there always been bad blood between you?”, Lena asked resting a soothing hand on Kara’s arm.

“Not always. We used to be very close, but we grew more distant over time and then we had a true falling out. We crossed paths on a job and then what little relationship we did have, was gone in a flash. We got into a fight that day and we’ve been fighting ever since.”

Lena caressed Kara’s cheek and kissed her lips softly.

“Speaking as someone who has zero family, I think it is very brave of you to face her and try to make things right.”

“There’s no making this right, but I would go to the ends of the earth to protect you. I said I would never talk to her again, but you’re safety is the most important thing to me in the world.”

Lena smiled and kissed Kara long and deep. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and held her close. She buried her face in Lena’s neck and took a deep breath.

“I guess I better get this over with. You stay here just in case she’s armed.”

“Wait, that was a real thing? Cat wasn’t joking?”

“God, I wish she was.”

“Where you go, I go my brave lionheart.”

“Okay, but stay behind me and if you see the whites of her eyes, run.”

Lena leaned over and kissed Kara’s cheek. She let out a little chuckle, but Kara didn’t join in. She wasn’t joking.

They walked up to the gate and even before Kara could touch the latch, the front door to the house opened. Kara was very relieved to see Sam’s big brown eyes and disarming smile staring back at her. Sam beamed and threw her arms up in the air.

“Kara! Look at you. Get that beautiful blonde ass over here right this minute.” Sam ran towards the gate and they met in the middle, connecting in a warm embrace.

Sam gave Kara a big kiss on the lips and held onto her. She leaned back and took her in. Kara waved Lena over. She knew the coast must be clear if she was asking her to move closer.

“Hi Sammy. I’m sorry to show up unannounced.”

“It was smart. It will give her less time to arm herself”, Sam said with a casual smile.

“Why does everyone keep saying that?”, a very worried Lena asked.

Kara let go of Sam and wrapped her arm around Lena’s shoulders.

“Sammy, this is Lena. Lena, this is my sister-in-law, Sam.”

Sam smiled at Lena.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Lena. Sam Arias. Welcome to our home,” Sam wrapped her arms around Lena and gave her a sweet hug.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Sam looked at the front door and Kara could see her face change,

“Shit! Lena, I think we should step out of the way. Kara, she’s awake”, Sam said. Her voice was level, but her words were dripping with eerie foreshadowing.

“Sam, get her out of the way”, Kara just managed to yell before a woman came running out at full speed towards Kara.

Lena watched the woman run hard at Kara without any hesitation and every instinct told her to protect her. Thankfully, Sam took a hold of her arm and prevented her from moving an inch.

“You should probably stay here”, Sam said with a bright grin. “Trust me, we just have to let this play out.”

The woman was tall and lanky. Lena surmised that Kara’s attacker was her sister, Alex. She had a shortly cropped hair cut and wore all black. She slammed into Kara with all of her might and knocked her down to the ground hard. Lena could hear the thud of Kara’s body hitting the pavement and her heart ached.

Kara laid on the ground and took a defensive posture. Alex punched Kara in the face. Lena was shocked and horrified. Somehow this all seemed more violent and terrifying than Kara’s tight quarters fight with the hitman in Paris.

Kara grabbed the Alex and flipped her over onto her back. She punched her hard in the jaw. Alex returned the favor with a swift kick to Kara’s stomach. Kara fell back, winded and in pain. She flipped around on her back and threw a kick that landed squarely against her sister’s jaw. Lena could hear the crack.

Sam continued to hold Lena’s arm. She gave her a big smile and continued to talk to her like nothing was happening.

**“When They Fight, They Fight”, by the Generationals**

**https://open.spotify.com/track/0zqmyB1prgGGiOS10sjH8A?si=9IFYkm2fQsWCF_vzdWM3zw**

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Lena. So, what brings you to our neck of the woods?”

“Should we try and stop this?”, Lena asked deeply concerned.

“Oh no. They’re fine. This is what they do. They have a complicated relationship. They love each other deep down. Really deep down. You just have to let them do this until they are both too exhausted to go on, and then everything will be fine.”

Lena watched as the two sisters continued to exchange punches and kicks. At one point Kara grabbed Alex and threw her over her shoulder. A little part of her was proud of her beautiful blonde hero. She wanted to cheer, but stayed quiet.

“Do they always do this?” Lena asked. “This is beyond dysfunctional.”

“Yep. There is a lot of history between them, but they will calm down in a bit. They’re getting older so they can’t fight nearly as long as they used to.

Kara shouted at Alex.

“ALEX STOP! THIS IS GETTING OLD! JUST LISTEN TO ME.”

Alex grabbed Kara hard and head butted her. Kara fell flat on her back.

“OH REALLY KARA? THIS IS FOR EMILY! I WILL NEVER STOP WANTING TO KILL YOU FOR EMILY.”

Alex straddled her victim. She held her down and hit her in the face again. Kara’s lip began to bleed. Lena shook. She wanted to protect Kara.

“Who is Emily?”, Lena asked desperately. “Are they fighting over a girl?”

Sam laughed.

“Nope. Emily was my wife’s car. They are fighting over a car, amongst other things.”

“Jesus. Are you serious?”, Lena asked with a chuckle. “That’s absurd.”

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE? I HEAR NOTHING FROM YOU AND THEN YOU JUST SHOW UP ON MY DOORSTEP LIKE THIS”, Alex demanded, screaming at the top of her lungs.

“ALEX! ALEX! PLEASE! WE NEED YOUR HELP!”, Kara shouted as she looked over at Lena.

Alex stopped hitting Kara and just held her down. For the first time, she looked over and saw Lena standing there, absolutely horrified.

Alex gave Lena the warmest smile as she pinned Kara’s arms to her chest with one hand and slapped her face, almost playfully with the other hand.

“Hi, I’m so sorry. My name is Alex. Alex Danvers. It’s a pleasure to meet you”, Alex said to Lena as she casually slapped her sister in the face.

Lena stepped forward a little and smiled awkwardly.

“Um...hi. I’m Lena. Lena Luthor. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Did you just say Luthor?”

“If you’ll stop slapping me Alex, I’ll explain”, Kara said straining against the weight of her sister.

Alex sat back and let go of Kara’s arms. Kara reached up and slapped Alex hard across the face. Alex fell back and Kara straddled her and held her down.

“We need your help dummy. Multiple attempts have been on Lena’s life. I’m protecting her. Her family has already sent two hitmen after us. I’m looking for the Luthors. Lena is helping me. If you’ll calm the fuck down I’ll let you up, and then we can talk like civilized human beings”, Kara spoke in short sentences, slowly and methodically to calm her sister.

Alex exploded into laughter.

“Too fucking late for that Boba Fett.”

“Fuck you Keanu.”

“Shut up. Keanu was an FBI agent. I’m CIA.”

“Joke’s on you. Boba Fett is a sick-ass bounty hunter. You just complimented me you jerk.”

Suddenly they both exploded into laughter and Kara let go of Alex’s hands. Kara stood up and put a hand out to help her sister up from the ground. Alex slapped her hand away and got up on her own.

They both dusted themselves off and walked over to Lena and Sam. They looked terrible. They were both bloodied and scratched up. They both had bruises forming on their faces and their clothes were dirty. They both walked with a little limp.

“They do this every time?”, Lena leaned in and whispered to Sam.

Sam rubbed Lena’s shoulder.

“They do, but they always calm down eventually. When they fight, they fight, but they love each other.”

Alex and Kara finally managed to limp over to their loves. Lena reached for Kara immediately and wrapped an arm around her waist. She kissed Kara’s cheek softly and helped support her as she stood uneasy on her ankle. Alex looked on a little surprised.

“Are you okay baby?” Lena asked.

“Yeah. It was time for my annual sisterly ass-kicking. Glad I won.”

“YOU DID NOT WIN”, Alex shouted with a little smile.

Alex put a hand out to Lena and grinned.

“Nice to meet you Lena. Sorry about the fight...that I clearly won”, Alex said giving Kara a dirty look.

“Come on. Let’s go inside and I’ll make us some lunch. You two can tell us all about your adventure”, Sam said pointing to front door which still stood wide open.

Sam wrapped an arm around Lena and they walked inside. Alex socked Kara in the arm and Kara kicked Alex in the leg. They were clearly not done with their fight. They would never be.

***

“So, you said you two needed help. How can we be of service?”, Sam asked.

“Yeah. What shit have you gotten yourself into now Kara? I thought you were slumming it as a bounty hunter in the States. Why are you here?”, Alex asked with a biting tone.

“I’m doing a job for Cat. I’m an Acting Special Agent.”

“The fucking Marshals. I should have known. You need to let us do things here and stay out of our way. I prefer you as a bounty hunter.”

“Actually, she prefers “Fugitive Recovery Specialist”, Lena said with a sweet smile.

Kara leaned over and kissed Lena’s neck softly.

“How did you two meet? If you don’t mind me asking, this all seems a little strange...you being a Luthor and all”, Alex said to Lena directly.

“I have nothing to do with my family. They are criminals, and all I want to do is see them brought to justice. Kara came to my aide when I needed her most. She accompanied me to Paris to protect me and then we came here.”

“Okay. So what do you need from us?”, Alex asked.

“Cat tracked Lex and Lillian to Helsinki moving towards Turku. I’m wondering if they are heading north into Lapland or if they are going to try and cut over the Russian border. I need to track these assholes down once and for all. They are taking girls now and selling them into the sex trade. I don’t know how much worse it can get.”

“Kara, you know I can’t officially do anything to help you.”

Kara looked over at Lena and explained.

“Alex and Sam both work for the CIA. Alex thinks she is better than everyone else and that the CIA is the best thing ever. She thinks the Marshals are shit.”

“I do not think that. I just think that my sister could have gone into a respectable agency and instead she decided to chase fugitives like a dog chasing after a jackrabbit. You know Mom is still disappointed.”

Kara looked over at Lena. A blush of embarrassment spread across her cheeks.

“Shut up Alex”, Kara said clenching her jaw.

“Their mother is also in the Agency. She is a fucking badass”, Sam said with a smile.

“Whatever. Will you help us or not, Alex? All I need is a better fix on where they might be heading. I can handle the rest.”

“What do you mean by handle? You realize you can get arrested and thrown in jail here for hurting people. You’re not exactly the calmest person I know, and you have zero jurisdiction here.”

“I need to get a fix on them and hope that we can do a pin and capture.”

“This seems dangerous.” Sam moved a hand to Alex’s arm. “We can’t help in an official capacity but maybe we can help.”

“Sam...”, Alex started to say.

“Listen Alex, you know how much it pains me to come here, but Cat thinks you can help and to be honest, I think we need it. If they are on the move there is no way I will be able to catch up without more details.”

“And you’re really going along with all of this Lena?”, Alex asked.

Lena smiled sweetly and held onto Kara’s hand. She gave her a soft kiss on the cheek and leaned her head against Kara’s shoulder.

“Wherever she goes, I go. We have survived multiple assassination attempts, thanks to Kara. I want my family taken down and I want to help any way I can.”

“The whole French police department is at her disposal and she chooses a bounty hunter to protect her”, Kara said leaning over and kissing the top of her head sweetly. “She’s crazy, but I adore her.”

“We have a little time off coming. What do you say we take a little break from catching criminals and help your sister and Lena catch the most wanted family in the world?”, Sam proposed to Alex.

“Fine...as long as you admit I won the fight”, Alex said leveling her gaze at Kara and clenching her jaw.

“Okay. You won. Happy Keanu?”

“Jesus, and stop calling me Keanu, Boba Fett.”

Lena looked on and smiled. She didn’t know if she was more amazed that Kara and Alex didn’t need to be hospitalized after their fight or that they had just recruited two CIA agents in their quest to take down her horrible family. All that mattered to Lena was that she was by Kara’s side and that they would live to fight another day.

***

Kara laid next to Lena watching her sleep. She was breathtaking. Kara’s heart was heavy and her jaw was killing her. She knew she needed to tell Lena everything, but she didn’t know how. She climbed out of bed quietly and slipped on her shoes and a coat. She grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and walked outside to get some air. She found Alex sitting by a fire pit smoking a cigar and drinking a gin and grapefruit drink called “Lonkero.”

“Couldn’t sleep either?”, Alex asked.

“Not really?”

Alex grabbed a bottle of Lonkero and a cigar and tossed them to Kara.

“Sit your ass down and explain to me how you got into this mess.”

Kara took a seat. The cold was bracing. Kara and Lena had arrived on one of those rare fall days where there was no terrible weather. It was just so cold, it made your bones ache.

Kara grabbed the bottle opener and popped the top off her drink. She cut the end of her cigar and burned the end to open up all the flavor before she pressed it between her lips and lit the tip. She took a few puffs and sat back. She took a moment to really take Alex in. She looked good, all things considered.

“What part of the mess? This whole situation is a shit show.”

“You didn’t tell her about Charlie did you?”

“No.”

“Her brother killed the love of your life, Kara. You need to tell her. Listen, that woman is going to hate you if you don’t tell her the truth.”

“How do I tell her now? I should have told her day one and now it just looms over my head.”

“I’m just saying, if Sam found out something like that and I wasn’t the one to tell her, she would shoot me.”

“I love Sam”, Kara said with a chuckle.

“Me too.”

“I don’t know what the hell she sees in you.”

“I ask myself that every day. She loves your crazy ass too. She is far too charitable. I tell her she needs to be more discerning, but she insists you’re a good person.”

“You’re still an asshole I see. Nice to know things never change”, Kara said with a grin.

Kara took a deep breath in and looked up at the night sky. The air in Finland was clean and sweet. Kara understood why Alex and Sam put down roots there.

“Never.”

“I don’t know why you’re helping me Alex. You fucking hate me.”

“I don’t hate you. I don’t like you, but I don’t hate you. We have bad blood. There’s no doubt about that, but I’m not going to let you go traipsing around Finland killing and maiming, dragging our family name through the dirt. Besides, mom would be pissed if I let you go out and get yourself killed. I like Lena and so does Sam. Let’s just say, we’re helping because of her.”

“Works for me.”

“Just don’t pull that Marshal shit here. You’re in my world now, so you’re going to have to follow the rules and not go all crazy ass bounty hunter like you always do.”

“Jesus Alex. You make it sound like I’m some kind of cowboy. I’m just here to make sure Lena is safe and we finally fucking nail the Luthors to the wall. I want them gone. I want to end Lex Luthor once and for all.”

“How does Lena feel about that?”

“She wants them gone too.”

“Well, if we survive this, hopefully you’ll both get your way. Just don’t go and do anything stupid.”

“It’s these tender sisterly conversations I treasure most”, Kara said, her words dripping with sarcasm.

“Listen, we should talk about the shit between us, but I am going to need to be way more hammered than this.”

“Another day, if we survive”, Kara said uncharacteristically doubtful.

“Another day. In the meantime, we need to start planning.”

“Well, I’ve got nowhere to be. Let’s get to work.”

“Tomorrow. I’m going to go inside, brush my teeth and make love to my wife until all of the pains from our fight go away. I suggest you do the same. God only knows what tomorrow will bring.”

Alex put out her cigar and finished off her drink. She stood up and looked at Kara seriously.

“It’s good to see you Kar, all things considered.”

“Gross. Stop talking about your feelings Alex. Go to bed you big softie.”

Alex smiled.

“Good night Kar.”

“Good night Alex.”

Alex walked inside and Kara looked up at the night sky. Some of the clouds cleared and she could see the sparkling stars peeking through the clouds. She was thankful that she was able to make partial peace with her homicidal sister, but her secret still weighed heavy on her heart.

Alex was right. She needed to go inside, brush the cigar out of her teeth and make love to Lena. She had to hold onto every moment. Their lives were constantly in danger, and now she was driving head-on into the path of her enemy. For now, she would treasure every second with Lena she could get.


	10. Before The Point Of No Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter has a naughty start, but it has a fluffy end. Sorry I can’t choose your own adventure this one. If you hate the smut, skip three-quarters down to the words “Lena you are everything.” Trying to post 40,000 more words as soon as possible. Wish me luck and thanks for reading! Happy New Year to you all.

Kara showered, brushed her teeth, sat in the sauna for a few minutes, and took some ibuprofen for the pain. Kara was used to fighting angry bail jumpers from all walks of life, but no one could kick Kara’s ass the way her sister could.

Kara pulled back the covers and slipped into bed silently. She didn’t bother putting on pajamas. Every nerve in her body tingled when her hand met Lena’s naked skin. She was thrilled to find that Lena didn’t bother with pajamas either.

Lena faced away from her and slept on her side. Kara moved up behind her and pressed her body against Lena’s. She slid a hand down to her thigh and let her fingers glide up and down slowly and methodically. She moved a hand to Lena’s perfect ass and caressed it gently. Lena stirred and moaned softly. Kara wrapped her arms around Lena tight and kissed her neck. Her hands travelled to Lena’s perfect breasts. Lena’s moans got a little louder and more desperate.

Kara moved her hand slowly between Lena’s thighs. Lena moved her top leg and spread herself wide. Kara found Lena’s wet center. Her growing excitement was evident as she pressed herself against Kara’s hand and moaned with more desperation.

“Lay on your back and spread your legs”, Kara whispered to Lena in a commanding voice.

“Oh God yes”, Lena whispered in Kara’s ear as Kara continued to move her fingers gently through Lena’s wetness. She loved how commanding Kara was. She always felt safe in her arms, and she enjoyed her brave hero taking control of all situations, including in the bedroom.

Kara dove down under the covers and threw them back so their naked bodies were on display in the center of the bed. The air was cool and sent tingles across their skin and down their spines.

Lena spread her legs and growled when she felt Kara’s hungry mouth begin to lap and suck at her wetness.

“You taste so good”, Kara said as she took a breath. She grinned, but there was a sensuality in her eyes that made Lena shiver with desire.

Lena lovingly caressed the top of Kara’s head and began to roll her hips with the motion of Kara’s tongue.

“Oh my god Kara. That feels so good. Please don’t stop”, Lena pleaded with Kara. “I need you so bad. Oh God. I love your mouth so much.”

Lena could feel Kara grab her thighs and gently caress them as she she pressed her mouth to Lena more ferociously. Lena started to feel her whole body grow very hot. Kara dug her fingers into Lena’s thighs harder and drove her tongue into Lena deeper and deeper. She licked and sucked at Lena’s juices and the feeling was so intense Kara felt her body stiffen and shake with pleasure.

Lena felt Kara slip two fingers deep inside her as she continued to press her mouth hard against her clit. Lena grabbed and clawed at Kara’s body like a wild animal. The pleasure was so intense, a tear fell down her cheek. Lena could feel her body start to stiffen and a pure white-hot joy washed over her as her body shook and writhed.

She bucked wildly as Kara continue to lick her clit and press her fingers deep inside at regular pumping intervals. Lena bit down on the blanket to keep herself from screaming. She rode the passionate wave until she hit her peak and grabbed onto Kara as tight as she could.

“Oh my God Kara…oh…oh…”, Lena managed to get out before she stiffened completely and fell back on the pillows squeezing Kara’s head between her burning hot thighs.

When Lena’s body finally quieted and she laid back completely relaxed and satisfied, Kara kissed the inside of both of her thighs and rubbed her ears where Lena had crushed them. She ran her fingers gently over Lena’s wetness once more and let her fingers dance over Lena’s clit. Lena began to writhe and moan again. She clawed at Kara’s back and rode her fingers through another intense, albeit short orgasm.

When Lena fell back for the second time, Kara knew she was completely satisfied.

Kara kissed her way up Lena’s pelvis and moved on top of her. She gently caressed Lena’s perfect, milky white breasts and encircled her nipples gently with her tongue. She kissed Lena’s mouth passionately and caressed her cheek with the back of her hand before she buried her face in her neck.

Lena panted and tried to catch her breath. She wrapped her arms around Kara and held her close. She kissed her forehead and grinned from ear to ear.

“That was amazing. You are so hot”, Lena whispered as she caressed Kara’s naked back and buttocks.”Where did that come from. You were all game face earlier.”

“I just want to be close to you. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I knew I needed to feel you, to taste you. I wish I could just wrap myself up inside you and live there”, Kara said, uncharacteristically romantic and dreamy.

“I want to taste you Kara. I want to please you my brave lionheart.”

Kara moved her hands to Lena’s chest and sat back a little so she was straddling Lena. Kara leaned back, her breasts perky and covered in little beads of sweat. Lena moved her hands between Kara’s legs and she could feel Kara’s excitement. Kara moaned softly and began to rub herself against Lena’s exploring fingertips.

Lena grabbed Kara’s hips and flipped her over onto her back. She pressed her mouth to Kara’s, hungrily searching for satisfaction but only finding more desire. She sucked at Kara’s tongue wildly and pulled back.

“You literally sapped all of my energy twice, but I need to taste you before we sleep.”

She pressed her fingers deep inside Kara without warning and began to pump and thrust deep inside her stoic blonde hero. She moved down and ran her tongue along Kara’s nipples and along Kara’s firm abs.

She licked Kara’s pelvis, sending a pleasure through Kara that made her body stiffen and ache.

Lena spread Kara’s legs wide and propped up her knees so her feet were pressed into the bed. She ran her tongue along the inside of Kara’s thigh. She could taste her excitement on her skin. Lena could feel Kara writhe in ecstasy as she pressed her tongue deep inside Kara’s hungry center. Kara grabbed Lena hard and began to ride Lena’s tongue. Lena lapped at Kara with an unbridled passion and ferocious hunger. Lena grabbed Kara’s legs and pulled her closer.

Kara gasped for breath and clawed at Lena, channeling Lena’s wild animal.

“Oh Kara…you taste so amazing. I never want to stop”, Lena said between licks.

“Oh God Lena. Please don’t stop. You feel so good. I need you so bad.”

Lena continued to attack Kara with a fiery desire. Kara started to stiffen and growl. Lena grabbed Kara harder and pumped her tongue deep inside her with everything she had until Kara bucked wildly and fell back against the pillows.

Lena curled up next to Kara and pressed her mouth to hers. Kara’s eyes were bright and her sweet face made Lena feel warm and loved. Kara grabbed Lena’s face with both hands and kissed her softly. She pulled back, determined to tell Lena everything.

“Lena, you are everything to me.”

Kara could feel Lena’s body shake. She kissed Lena passionately and pulled the blankets over their bodies. She needed to tell Lena about Charlie and her past with Lex, but she couldn’t look her in the eyes.

She laid on Lena’s chest and interlocked her fingers with Lena’s.

“Lena, I have something I need to tell you. It’s something I’ve needed to tell you for a while.”

Lena didn’t respond, but Kara knew she had to keep going.

“Lena, I’ve had something I’ve wanted to tell you since I walked into your office that first day. I was engaged once. She was My partner and my best friend in the world. During an escape, your brother murdered her. I have always harbored resentment and hatred towards your brother and the whole Luthor family. I have always had a personal stake in all of this. I didn’t bring it up earlier because you had so much animosity for law enforcement, and I didn’t want you to think my motives were disingenuous. I know I’m a coward. I should have told you much sooner, but all that is important is that I’m telling you now. I understand if you’re angry, but I just had to tell you. Do you have anything to say, my heart?”

Lena didn’t respond. Instead, she let out the sweetest little snore to indicate that she had fallen fast asleep. Kara’s heart sank when she realized that Lena had missed everything she had said. She ran a finger gently along the bridge of Lena’s nose and laid back down on her chest.

“Tomorrow then, my love”, Kara whispered softly before she succumbed to her exhaustion and fell asleep.

***

Kara awoke to a loud pounding on the door and the sound of Alex calling her name.

“KARA! KARA! Wake up damnit!”

Lena was already awake and looked terrified. Kara got out of bed and fumbled around trying to find something to put on.

Lena covered herself with the blankets as Kara opened the door.

“What is it Alex?”

“They’re on the move. My buddy who is tracking them for us said they are moving towards Vaasa fast. We need to move. We are already a few hours behind them.”

“I’ll be ready in five.”

Kara closed the door and returned to Lena’s side. She sat on the bed and grabbed Lena’s hands.

“Listen, we need to go and we need to go fast. This could be incredibly dangerous. You may be safer here. Alex and Sam can arm you.”

“Bullshit. I’m staying with you. I don’t want to be away from you. Besides, if we find them, I’m going to be there when they go down.”

“Okay. As long as you’re sure.”

“My place is by your side my love”, Lena said with the warmest sincerity. Kara stood up and put her hand out to Lena.

Lena took her hand and stood up. Kara wrapped her arms around the woman who had stolen her heart and enveloped her life.

“Please promise me that if anything goes wrong, you will let us protect you and stay down.”

“I will, I promise. I’m a little scared right now, but it’s not for myself. I’m scared for you, my love. This seems like it is too dangerous.”

“Your family is actively trying to kill you, Lena. I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe.”

“I always feel safe in your arms, Kara. Always.”

Alex knocked and popped her head inside the room.

“Come on you two. I hope you had fun last night. Today is going to be a long day. Get your last kisses in and get your asses in gear..”

***

No matter how much Alex and Sam tried to urge Lena to stay at the house where she was safe, she wouldn’t budge. She told them that the only place in the world where she felt completely safe was by Kara’s side.

Once Alex confirmed Lena could handle a weapon, she gave her a small .22 and a knife. Kara, Sam, and Alex carried heavier firepower and they all dressed in black. Kara stood in Alex and Sam’s living room dressed like she was going to war. Alex and Sam shared a tender moment. Alex pulled her wife close and kissed her passionately. Alex caressed Sam’s cheek and her nose.

“Into the breach, fight bravely, stay smart and come home baby”, Sam said cool and calm. 

“Always baby. I will fight bravely by your side, I will stay, and we will come home together my love”, Alex replied back.

Kara wrapped her arms around Lena’s waist.

“I’m guessing you two say that a lot”, Lena said to Sam and Alex with a little smile.

“More often than we would like. I swear, if Kara doesn’t get us killed, we need to retire somewhere tropical. I’m done with this”, Alex said.

“I’ll try not to get you guys killed. Remember we’re just locating them. I called Cat and we have a team of Marshalls at the ready.”

“I don’t know how comfortable I feel about that” Alex said gruffly. “International matters are CIA jurisdiction.”

“What are you going to do? Tell mom?” Kara asked with a playful chuckle.

“She would have both of our asses in a sling if she knew we were helping you with an off-book”

“What’s your mom like?” Lena asked Kara and Alex.

“Her CIA codename is ‘Kali’. I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen an image of Kali, but let’s just say, you don’t fuck with Kali.”

“Definitely don’t tell your mom”, Lena said with a grin. She’ll have all our asses.”

Kara stood up tall and pressed a hand to Lena’s head. They pressed their foreheads together .

“I’ll leave the poetry to Alex and Sam. Lena, I know we’ve only known each other a short time, but I love you with every fiber of my being. I would die to keep you safe from harm. Whatever happens, please know that even though we have been attacked repeatedly and we are on the run from the enemy, these days have been the best of my life. Let’s go and end this my heart.”

Lena placed her hands on Kara’s chest and rubbed her cheek against her lionheart’s cheek.

“They have been the very best days of my life too. I have never know the safety or contentment I feel in your arms. I don’t think I ever thought it was possible. You have shown me infinite love, trust and loyalty.”

“You two are disgusting”, Alex said with a playful smile. 

“Back at ya Alex. You and Sam are gross. I like it better when you’re full of rage. Come on. Let’s go find the devil and end this once and for all.”


	11. Put Me Back Together Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara, Lena, Sam, and Alex are hot on the trail of the Luthors when they hit a snag. Lena finally discovers the truth about Kara’s history with Lex and Eliza, aka ‘Kali’, joins the team. Lena discovers that Kara has an even softer side when it comes to her relationship with Eliza, and Kara must make a tough decision to keep Lena safe. 
> 
> Huge update. Thanks for your patience! Sending you all big hugs and wishing you and your families good health and happy hearts. 💕🙂

When Alex pulled into the gas station, a couple hours into their drive, Kara figured there was no harm checking with the clerk to see if the Luthors had driven through. She looked over at Lena, and suddenly, she was hit with a wave of conflicting emotions. She wanted to put Lex and Lillian down for good, but every instinct told her to take Lena back to Sam and Alex’s place and not deliver her directly into the hands of her psychotic family. No matter how badly she wanted to be near Lena, she knew she was doing a terrible job keeping her safe.

_What a fucking mess. You deserve better than this, Lena. I should have put my foot down in Paris, and insisted that you accept the protection of Bisset’s men. Why can’t I seem to let you go for an instant?_

Alex turned around to Kara.

“I doubt they stopped, but I’ll go check with the clerk.”

“Listen, I know it’s a long shot, Alex, but maybe we will get something.”

“It’s fine, Kar. We needed gas anyway. You pump and I’ll go see if that kid has seen anything.”

“Lena, I need to use the restroom. Do you want to come with me?” Sam asked with a cheerful smile.

Lena looked at Kara. Kara could sense that her love was uneasy being separated from her even for a minute.

“Go baby. You should splash some water on your face and stretch your legs. Everything will be okay. Sam’s got you.”

Kara smiled sweetly. Lena moved a loving hand to Kara’s cheek and rested it there for a beat. She kissed her lips feather soft and smiled.

***

The women all went their separate ways. Kara set up the gas pump and pulled out her cell phone.

_1 text from Cat Grant_

_[[Kara - got your message about Vaasa. I’m sending a team straight away. They should be there tonight. I’m glad Alex didn’t kill you. Watch your six and please don’t marry Lena Luthor._

Kara grinned.

***

Alex walked into the little store attached to the gas station and made her way through the aisles picking up some snacks for the trip. She grabbed four bottles of water from the cooler and made her way up to the counter.

“Hei. Oletko nähnyt mercedes-laivaston tulevan tänne viime tunnin aikana?” Alex asked in perfect Finnish.

Alex knew the pimply faced clerk couldn’t have been more than eighteen or nineteen. She tried to smile and keep the mood of the conversation light.

“Are you American?” The clerk asked with a goofy grin.

“Yes. I’m American. Did you want to speak in English?”

Alex had learned over the last couple of years that young Finns in small towns loved to practice their English skills whenever they had the chance. They received so few tourists, that it was a real treat to be able to perfect their language skills with a willing partner.

“Yes! Please. I rarely get to practice my English.”

“So, my question...have you seen a fleet of Mercedes come through in the last few hours?”

“Yes.”

“No shit!”

The clerk looked confused. American colloquialisms were lost on most foreign language speakers, but especially this kid.

“Sorry. That’s American slang. I just mean, wow!”

“No shit! I will have to remember that one.”

Alex smiled and gave the kid a nod. Her patience was wearing thin, but she knew this kid would be more forthcoming if he wasn’t pissing his pants. She had to actively fight the instinct to grab the kid and punch his face until he gave her a speedy answer.

“They drove through about thirty-five minutes ago. They didn’t purchase gas. A man and a woman came in here looking for a hospital. The man looked very ill...or is it sick?”

“Either are correct. What was wrong with him?” Alex had to shake off her growing irritation.

“They didn’t say, but it looked like he was having breathing distress or is it problems?”

“What did they look like?”

“The man had no hair”, the clerk said pointing to his own head. “The woman was very young and sexy.” The clerk gestured wildly. His movements indicated that the woman had a curvy figure and full breasts.

Alex’s body pumped full of adrenaline instantly.

“What hospital did you send them to?” Alex asked trying to hide the surge of hunter energy coursing through her veins.

“The University hospital. It’s not far from here.”

“I know the one. Kiitos...I mean thank you”, Alex said throwing down too much money and scooping up her purchases.

“You are very welcome”, the boy said emphasizing every syllable. “It was my pleasure to be of assistance”, the boy said as Alex was already making her way out the door.

Alex ran towards the car just as Kara was replacing the pump. Sam and Lena stood close by, casually chatting about the weather.

Sam looked at Alex and smiled. She turned to Lena and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“We should get in the car, Lena. I think Alex found something. I know that look.”

Lena and Sam quickly climbed into the back seat.

Kara turned to her sister, just as Alex tossed the snacks through the open car window.

“You were right Kar. Get in! We have to go.”

Kara hopped into the front passenger seat and turned to her sister as she flung the snacks onto the floor.

“Where are we going, Alex?” Kara asked excited.

“They drove through here. The clerk said that a man and a woman came into the store to ask for directions to a hospital.” Alex turned back to Lena and smiled. “Lena, didn’t you say Lex was an asthmatic last night?”

“I did. He has always had breathing problems. He was a mess when we were growing up. He never went anywhere without his inhaler.”

“The clerk said the man was experiencing breathing distress.”

“Was the woman Lillian Luthor?” Sam asked.

“Doubtful. The clerk said she was hot. I’m thinking it had to be someone else. I’m pretty sure I read about a girlfriend in his dossier. Eve, I think was her name.”

Alex started the car and took off fast. The tires skid a little as she peeled out.

The gas station clerk came running out to see what the noise was and watched as Alex, Kara, Lena, and Sam sped directly into the eye of the storm.

***

Alex drove through the hospital parking lot slowly, careful to survey each car and each row for danger. The air was thick with tension in the jet black SUV.

“Keep your head down, Lena. We don’t want them to recognize you”, Alex said.

Sam helped Lena lay down on the back seat. Lena’s body shook involuntarily. Each step they moved closer to her family, was a step closer to the reality that they wanted her dead. She knew that there was no turning back now.

“Do you see anything?” Lena whispered softly.

“No baby. Nothing yet”, Kara said scanning the parking lot.”

“Oh shit! Wait. Is that a Mercedes SUV? There’s only one, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of those outside of Helsinki. Do you think it’s possible that he came here alone?” Alex asked.

“No harm in taking a quick look. If they are on the road, I’m sure we’re not too far behind them”, Sam said.

“Let’s get in, take a look and get back on the road if we don’t find anything”, Kara said checking her weapons.

Alex pulled into a space and pulled out a black box from under the seat. She opened it and handed ear pieces to her companions.

“Comms. Try and stay as radio silent as possible. The last thing we need is for them to hear us coming. Kar, we should head inside.”

Kara’s face dropped.

“I should stay with Lena.”

“Kar, things could get hairy in there. She will be safer out here with Sam. Sam, Lena, you watch the perimeter. Keep an eye on the exits and report in if you see anything unusual. Remember, do not engage. Just report.”

Kara let out a deep sigh and nodded. She knew in her heart that Alex was right, even if it was annoying.

Sam and Lena nodded in a agreement. As if diving into the deep end of a pool, Lena drew in a long deep breath to steady her nerves and prepare her for the unknown dangers that they might face.

The women stepped out of the car and the couples paired off. Alex and Sam held onto each other briefly without saying a single word. They had faced these kinds of moments countless times and they had both said their goodbyes for a lifetime. Alex pressed her lips to Sam’s forehead and closed her eyes.

Kara wrapped her arms around Lena and kissed her passionately. Lena pressed her hands to Kara’s chest and smiled sweetly.

“I’ll be fine. Please just promise me that you won’t do anything stupid. No getting yourself stabbed, okay?” Lena said with a sad smile.

Kara grinned.

“Okay. I’ll be careful.” Kara drew in a deep breath. “Hey Lena...”, Kara trailed off.

“Yeah baby.”

“I love you”, Kara said without hesitation.

Lena pressed her arms to Kara’s chest and grinned.

“I love you too, my lionheart. Come back to me in one piece.”

“I will, baby.”

Lena pulled Kara in for one more kiss before they went their separate ways. As Kara and Alex made their way to the front of the hospital, Kara looked back at Lena, and for the first time, she processed everything she could lose if she lost Lena.

_Fuck. Don’t let fear creep into your head, Kara. You’ve been a fearless, ball busting, psycho bounty hunter since Charlie died. Don’t start letting your feelings make you doubt your ability to run into danger and get the job done._

Kara turned back around, resolute and ready to take Lex and Lillian down, once and for all.

***

Kara and Alex crept along the hospital corridors. Neither of them had their weapons drawn, but they were ready to draw them if they needed to.

“So, did you tell her about Charlie and Lex?” Alex whispered as they popped their heads into rooms, checking for any sign of the Luthors.

“I tried, but she fell asleep on me. I said everything I needed to say, and her only response was a little snore.”

“Quit the bullshit, Kar. You need to tell her.”

“I know. Don’t you think I know?”

Alex stepped into a room and pulled back a curtain, revealing an old Finnish woman undressing.

“Oh shit! Sorry. Olen hyvin pahoillani!”

The woman grunted in disgust and pulled the curtain closed.

Kara chuckled.

“My big badass CIA agent sister is nothing more than a peeping Tom. Ha!”

“Shut up, dummy.”

“Did you get her number?” Kara asked playfully.

Alex turned to Kara and growled, but she smiled a little.

Kara smiled back.

[[This feels like old times. Maybe my relationship with Alex isn’t completely dead.]]

Just as they were about to make their way to the end of the hallway, two figures appeared. Two burley men in suits lumbered into the corridor and scanned their surroundings. Once again, Kara could just make out the familiar bulge of a weapon under their suit jackets.

“Fuck, those guys are some big bitches”, Kara whispered to Alex.

“They are definitely with the Luthors. No doubt. Let me call this in”, Alex said.

“This is a Marshal catch. Let me call Cat.”

Suddenly, Lex and the busty blonde walked out of the last room at the end of the corridor and joined the two large men.

“Holy shit, Kar. Is that Lex and Eve?”

One of the things Lena was unaware of was that Lex had a rare condition that gave him almost superhuman hearing. He had suffered a traumatic brain injury during a car crash a few years back and walked away with improved hearing and a large scar across the top of his head. Even at barely a whisper, the mention of his name caught his attention. His eyes moved to Kara and Alex in an instant.

“For fuck’s sake”, Kara said when she realized Lex heard his name.

The moment he saw them, he pulled out a large gun from inside his coat and stepped behind the two beefy men. The goons drew their weapons and took aim quickly. Alex and Kara dove into opposite rooms. They made eye contact and prepared for Lex’s goons to chase them down. They waited for a beat and ran back into the hallway when they realized Lex and his posse had exited towards the stairs.

Kara drew her weapon and held it at her hip. She stepped forward into the hall and raised her gun slowly.

Alex grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back.

“Kara, remember, this is a location job only. We know where they are. We should report in and let someone else handle this. We can’t do this alone. It’s too dangerous.”

“What direction do you think they are heading in, Alex?They are heading directly for Sam and Lena. We need to go now.”

“Can you swear to me that this has nothing to do with what happened to Charlie?”

“I swear, goddamnit. I just need to keep Lena safe. We need to go. Let go of me.”

Kara pulled away from Alex.

“Kar...I”, Alex started.

“If you’re not with me, you’re against me, Alex. I’m going.”

“I’m with you, Kar. Let’s do this.”

***

The crackle over the comm made Lena jump.

“Sam! Sam! This is Kara. Get Lena back to the car right now!”

Sam ran around the corner and found Lena waiting at the back of the hospital near the emergency exit.

“I’ve got her. We’ll get to the car. Do you need me?”

“No. Just keep Lena safe, Sam”, Alex’s voice bellowed through the earpiece.

Sam grabbed Lena’s hand and they ran to towards the car.

“We need to go and help them! What if they are in trouble?” Lena yelled as she tried to pull away from Sam.

Sam stopped when they located the car and stood in front of Lena. Her face relaxed into a warm smile. She grabbed both of Lena’s shoulders.

“Sweetie, they will be fine. If they were in any danger they would have said something. I trust Alex. If she says we need to stay out here, there is a good reason. We need to keep you far away from your crazy family”, Sam said pulling the hidden key from above the rear tire.

Sam unlocked the door and motioned for Lena to get inside. Lena turned around and stared at the hospital building, longing to know if Kara was safe. Her heart ached being away from her hero, but she knew Sam was right. She would only be a liability. Lena gave Sam a quick nod and climbed into the front seat without another word.

***

“Shit! Shit! Fucking Shit! That is a lot of blood”, Alex said panicked.

“Calm down, Alex. I’m fine. Just get me to the car.”

“This is a terrible idea. We should have just taken you downstairs. We were literally inside a hospital.”

Alex supported Kara as they walked back to the car. Both of them were covered in blood.

“And what was I going to say? Oh hi, my name is Kara Danvers and I am a rogue Acting Special Agent for the US Marshal service. I have zero jurisdiction here and I was only supposed to be on a locator mission. This is my kind-hearted, but mentally challenged sister who works for the CIA, but knows that none of what we just did is legal or sanctioned under any badge. Please treat me, but don’t call the cops or ask any questions.”

Kara started to shiver and shake. All of the blood drained from her face and she was covered in a cold sweat.

“Shit. You’re going into shock.”

“That’s fucking bullshit and you know it. I’m fine. I’ve been shot plenty of times before, and I’m doing great. Why are there two of you?”

“You look like garbage, Kar.”

“Thanks Alex. I’m so happy Cat encouraged me to meet up with you for this tender little family reunion”, Kara said with a smile.

Alex looked up and saw they were only a few hundred yards away from where they parked. When she heard the police sirens getting closer, Alex tensed and dragged her sister to the car with all of her remaining strength.

“You are such a putz. What the hell was I thinking getting wrapped up in all of this?” Alex asked annoyed.

“I don’t know. I was sure you would shoot me in the leg and tell me to fuck off.”

“I was tempted, but you had to go and fall in love with Lena, and unfortunately, we like her too damn much to let her get killed.”

“I’ve kept her safe just fine.”

“There have been three attempts on her life, Kar. Admit that you need help.”

“Cat is sending a team to Vaasa to head them off. I shot Lex in the stomach. Hopefully that miserable bald sonofabitch is laying dead somewhere. If he’s still alive, I hope he is in excruciating pain.”

“Are you sure you didn’t go after them because of Charlie?”

“I went after them for one reason and one reason only. To keep Lena safe. My lust for revenge disappeared the moment I laid eyes on Lena. I know it’s not very bounty hunter of me to say, but the moment I met her, I had a reason to stop being so damn self destructive. She makes me want to be a better person.”

“Great, I like her even more.”

“Hey Alex, please do me a favor.”

“Sure Kar. I kind of did something that’s going to piss you off. I owe you.”

“What the fuck did you do, Alex?”

“You first. What’s the favor?”

“Downplay my injuries for Lena. She’s going to freak out if you look freaked. Just get me somewhere before I vomit and pass out.”

“Okay, Kar. I swear, I’ll put on a brave face.”

Sam and Lena saw Alex and Kara coming. They hopped out of the car and helped Alex get Kara into the backseat. Lena sat in the backseat with her wounded hero. Kara laid down and rested her head in Lena’s lap.

“Baby, what happened? There’s so much blood”, Lena said, panicked.

Sam and Alex climbed into the car. Alex looked back at Lena and smiled naturally.

“It looks worse than it is, Lena. She’ll be fine. Stay calm and just keep her comfortable. I’ll get us to the safe house.”

Kara popped her head up a little and looked at Alex in the rear view mirror just as she peeled out.

“Alex, what the hell did you do? What safe house?”

“The good news is that we have a safe house not far from here. It’s close”, Alex said ignoring Kara’s question.

“Alex, what did you do? Answer me.”

“I called Mom.”

“Fuck. Why on earth did you go and do that?”

“I was scared that you would run into a dangerous situation and get your dumb ass shot. Silly me.”

“Kali is coming here? Seriously? Great. Now we’re all fucked”, Sam said uncharacteristically negative. “She is going to kill us all.”

“Oh God”, Lena said.

Sam turned around and smiled at Lena.

“Oh, not you sweetie. You, she will adore. Us on the other hand...we’re screwed. She is not going to be happy that we let her precious baby get shot.”

“Her precious baby?” Lena asked confused.

“Oh God. Thanks Sam!”

“I don’t understand. I thought you weren’t close to your mom”, Lena said to Kara.

“Don’t buy her bullshit. Kara is the center of her universe. Mom got mad when Kara joined the Marshalls instead of the CIA, where she could protect her. Kar has never quite forgiven her. Yes, her code name is ‘Kali’ and she is scary as fuck if your the enemy, but when she sees Kara, her whole face lights up. It is so fucking adorable and annoying.”

“Shut up, Alex. That is so not true. Mom looks at me and she just feels disappointed.”

“Sam?” Alex said with a smile.

“Sorry Kara, it’s kind of true.”

“I can’t wait to meet your mom. She sounds pretty amazing.”

“I wouldn’t get took excited, Lena. We are going to have a lot of explaining to do”, Alex said looking at her sister’s bloodied body. She cringed in horror when she saw Kara pass out cold.

***

When Kara awoke, her whole body cried out in pain. She blinked her eyes rapidly, desperate to figure out where she was. Bright lights pierced her eyes and walls made of plastic and canvas surrounded her makeshift hospital room. She looked down and realized that she was laying in a sophisticated hospital bed and her body was covered in pristine white sheets. She moved her arm and felt the pull of an IV line and a blood pressure monitor that squeezed at her index finger. She tried to sit up, but the pain in her shoulder and chest were too excruciating. She laid back and clenched her teeth.

“How are you feeling dummy?” Alex asked from a dark corner.

The CIA safe house was converted from an old warehouse and pulled together for the CIA to take in agents who found themselves in hot water. Eliza Danvers, AKA “Kali”, knew the location of every single safe house, black site and CIA installation around the world. When Alex called her mother, Eliza calmly directed Alex to meet her and her team at the safe house located just outside of Tampere. She also told Alex that she would have a lot of explaining to do when all of the dust was settled.

“I feel like shit, Keanu. Actually, I feel like my body and my head, in particular, were thrown into a wood chipper.”

“Don’t sugar coat it, Kar. Tell me how you really feel”, Alex said trying to stifle her laughter. “You’re so tough.”

“I’m glad my pain amuses you, jerk. Wait, where is Lena?”

“Well...I have some good news and some bad news”, Alex said nervously.

“What are you talking about, Alex? Where the hell is Lena? Tell me right now!” Kara ignored her pain and sat straight up.

“Calm down. She’s fine. She’s outside with mom and Sam.”

“What do you mean you have bad news?”

“How about the good news first?” Alex asked.

“Fine.”

“Mom adores Lena. It was love at first sight. She is smitten. I think she is already planning your wedding.”

“What’s the bad news, Alex?”

“I didn’t exactly get the chance to talk to mom before she talked to Lena...and well...she kind of told Lena every detail about Lex, Charlie, your heartbreak, your mental break, your career change, your other mental break, and everything in between. It was kind of a shit show of stuff you didn’t want her to hear from someone else. Sorry Kar.”

“Fuck! Are you fucking serious?” Kara rubbed her head and laid back down defeated. So, she’s super pissed?”

“Um...well...she’s very hurt. I mean she loves you madly and she wants to make sure you’re okay, but separate from that, yes, I think she is very pissed. Mom and Sam have been trying to talk her down from the gun tower, but she is reeling from the fact that you spent all this time alone together and you never said a word.”

“Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! Why did you call Mom? What were you thinking?”

“Don’t blame me. You know this is about you not being honest with her. She thinks this was all about you wanting revenge for Charlie.”

“This was never about revenge.”

“I get that, Kar. I explained why you went after Lex in the hospital.”

“Did she believe you?”

“No, she kind of hates me too.”

“Why?”

“Because I knew everything.”

“So did Sam.”

“She loves Sam. Besides, she needs someone to talk to about how much she hates us Danvers jerks.”

Kara buried her face in her hand.

“I can’t believe she hates me.”

“She doesn’t really hate you, Kar. She just needs time. I’ll go and tell her you are awake. I’m sure she will run in here and throw her arms around you.”

“You think?”

“Nope. She’s really pissed, but don’t completely lose hope. You’re so pathetic when you’re hopeless.”

“You are literally the worst sister ever.”

“I saved your ass. You had to go and get yourself shot.”

“You got stabbed. Did you tell Mommy about that?”

“Oh shit. Did you just call her ‘Mommy’?”

“Shut up. It was a slip.”

“Bad ass bounty hunter Kara wants her mommy.”

“I swear to God, when I get out of this hospital bed, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Good luck, sis. Well, I guess it’s time for you to face the music. Let me go and let her know you’re okay.”

“Do you think she will forgive me?”

“Well, normally I would suggest that you buy her flowers or something, but she has more money than God and you hid a revenge plot to kill her brother. Somehow I don’t think flowers are going to do the trick. I think you’re kind of screwed here. Let’s just hope Mom and Sam had some luck convincing her that you’re worth forgiving.”

Kara shook her head and closed her eyes.

“Fuck. I’m totally screwed.”

***

“I’m glad you’re okay”, Lena said cooly. She stood six feet away from Kara and made no move to get closer.

“Lena, I’m so sorry...”, Kara started before Lena put up a hand to stop her from speaking.

“Shut up.”

Kara was blown away. She hadn’t seen Lena angry since the first day they met, and it broke her heart in two.

“Okay. I’m sorry.”

“You had dozens of chances to tell me, Kara. Why did your mom have to tell me? I looked like an idiot.”

“Lena, I wanted to tell you when we first met, but I was worried that you wouldn’t help me if you thought I was just after your brother for revenge. I swear, none of this has anything to do with Charlie or what happened with Lex. When you asked for my help, you changed my world.”

“And every hour after that? What stopped you from saying something at any other time?”

“Lena...”, Kara started again, but Lena was too angry to listen. Her face flushed red, her eyes narrowed, and her jaw was clenched so tight, Kara feared Lena would crack a tooth.

“Just stop! I really don’t want to hear it. You put your life in danger to chase after my brother. Granted, he deserves to be taken down, but you were reckless.”

“I didn’t chase after him for revenge. I chased after him to protect you. They were headed downstairs towards you and Sam. We had to do something.”

“Kara, I want to believe you. I was so embarrassed when your mom told me. She could see the shock and confusion on my face. We are supposed to be in love and you hid a huge secret from me. I felt like a fool.”

“I told you I lost someone important to me. That was Charlie. That is why I left the Marshall service and became a bounty hunter.”

Kara’s heart broke when Lena didn’t make a sweet, comical quip about her being a Fugitive Recovery Specialist.

_Fuck. I ruined everything. She has so much hate in her eyes._

“You had so many chances to tell me, but you couldn’t be bothered. Sitting there listening to your mom made me feel like an idiot. It was so much worse when I realized that Alex and Sam knew the whole time and they didn’t say anything either.”

“I asked Alex to let me tell you. It wasn’t their fault.”

“Oh, trust me, I blame you. What on earth stopped you? Don’t you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you. I tried to tell you last night, but you fell asleep.”

“Convenient”, Lena said. Her tone was cold and biting.

“Lena, I love you with all of my heart. You are all I care about. Don’t you see that?”

“I thought I did. I thought I saw a lot. Now, I don’t know who you are. If you could keep such a big secret from me, how could I really know you at all?”

“Please, just let me explain.”

“No. You had your chance. I can’t look at you right now. I’m glad you’re okay, but what you did was stupid and reckless. You could have been killed. I don’t know if I can be with someone who puts revenge before their own safety.”

“Lena, please. This was not about Lex or your family. This was about you. They were heading towards you. I needed to keep you safe. Go ahead and hate me for not telling you, but I have no regrets trying to protect you.”

“Your motives, pure or not, are not the only reason I am angry. You know what? I just can’t talk about this anymore. I’m just done. I can’t do this. You need to rest and I can’t handle this conversation right now.”

Lena turned around and walked away without another word. All of the pain in Kara’s shoulder and chest were replaced by the bone cracking, soul crushing, nerve slicing pain in her broken heart.

Kara laid back against the pillows. Tears fell from her eyes as she processed the knowledge that she had no one to blame for her heartache except for herself.

***

“I would ask you what on earth you were thinking, but I’m pretty sure you weren’t thinking at all” Eliza said from the doorway of the makeshift hospital room.

“Hi Mom”, Kara said with a sad smile.

“No ‘Mommy’?” Eliza asked, quickly moving to Kara’s side. She leaned down and covered her daughter’s face with kisses.

Kara smiled a little.

“Hi Mommy”, she said with tears in her eyes.

“That’s better. You might have a filthy mouth and a dangerous job, but I will always be your Mommy.”

“Alex makes fun of me when I call you ‘Mommy’. She says I need to grow up.”

“She’s just too jaded. She’s been calling me ‘Mom’ since she was four. I’m just relieved that she doesn’t call me ‘Mother’ like a robot”, Eliza said with a little chuckle.

Kara smiled, but her eyes were sad.

“Mommy, I really messed up.”

“Lena?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry for the part I played in all of that. I never meant to cause any issues between you and that lovely girl out there. I usually don’t like people straight away, but she is really wonderful. I looked up the work she does and every other fact about her life and I wholeheartedly approve.”

“I lost her.”

“You didn’t lose her. This is just a temporary setback. She loves you with all of her heart, baby. She is just a little sore that you weren’t upfront with her. Give her time, and she will be back in your arms in no time.”

“I missed you, Mommy.”

“I missed you too, my love”, Eliza said sitting on the edge of the bed. She caressed Kara’s head and smiled sweetly.

“Cat doesn’t trust her. Lena, I mean.”

“I don’t trust Cat. She acts like you don’t have a mother.”

“No she doesn’t. She’s just a mentor. Don’t be jealous.”

Eliza rolled her eyes.

“She’s always giving you ‘sage advice’ and getting you into trouble. What the hell was she thinking sending you here in the first place?”

“Well, technically she didn’t send me here. I went a little rogue.”

“I should have known. You really are Kali’s daughter. I was a bit of a rogue back in my day.”

“Mommy, you’re the oldest female field agent on the active list. You’re one hundred percent rogue.”

“You went rogue for her, didn’t you?”

“I love her more than I have ever loved anyone or anything on this planet. She is all wrong for me in every way, but she lights me up inside. She makes me want to be a better person.”

“You already are. You’ve been talking to me for fifteen minutes and you haven’t sworn once. That has to be a new record.”

“Do you think she will ever forgive me?”

“Yes, but please start using your head, and for the love of God, please make sure that there are no more secrets. Tell her everything. If you love her and she loves you, you both need to be honest.”

“Mommy, I’m scared.”

“Of what, baby?”

“That I can’t protect her from what’s coming. Every part of me wants to keep her close and keep her safe, but they attacked her at home, they got to her three times in Paris, and lord only knows what they will try if we find them in Vaasa.”

“You’ve done a commendable job protecting her, but she needs to lay low somewhere safe.”

“Cat has a team heading to Vaasa to intercept the Luthors. I can have her come here instead and grab Lena. If Lena is angry at me, I am sure she will be happy to be rid of me. I just don’t know if I can let her go.”

“I highly doubt that she will be happy to get rid of you, baby. I can see the love she feels for you. Why do you think I like her so much? Before I accidentally let all that business about Lex Luthor slip, she was by your bedside, faithful and unmoving.”

“And now she hates me.”

“Not at all. She is just trying to process new information. Listen, why don’t I take Lena? I can keep her safe while you and Alex hunt down the Luthors. Do you trust me?”

“Of course I do. You’re Kali, but are you seriously encouraging me and Alex to go after the Luthors? I thought you would put your foot down and tell us not to. Couldn’t this get you into trouble as well?”

“Of course I would love to put my foot down, but we both know that would do little good. You’ve already been shot and what you are both doing will surely put you in grave danger. Your sister will likely be fired, but neither of you listen to me anyway. All I can do is try and give you support where I can. I might have to explain my actions later, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my daughters go off half-cocked without support. I can’t join your mission, but I can keep Lena safe and make sure you have the tools you need.”

“I know that she would be safer with you, but ultimately, it’s her choice.”

Eliza nodded her head and smiled.

“True, but I can be very persuasive. I will talk to her and see if she would be willing to stay with me while you find that piece of crap brother of hers. You will be much safer if you can concentrate on the mission.”

“She is distracting. It’s her eyes and that smile. Fucking Lex Luthor. I’m glad I shot that sonofabitch. I hope he’s in agony somewhere. Who tries to kill their own sister? It’s demented.”

“Says the girl who regularly gets into a brawl with her sister every time she sees her.”

“You know it is all Alex’s fault. I usually come in waving the white flag and, in a matter of seconds, I have to defend myself”, Kara said with a little smile. “You should have seen poor Lena’s face when Alex came at me. She must have thought we were both insane.”

“Well, she wouldn’t be totally wrong. It is good to see you girls working together again. It’s been too long since I had my girls together in the same place.”

“Lena means the world to me, Mommy. If I can’t protect her, I’m confident that you can. I just hope she is willing to listen to you and forgive me.”

“If she wasn’t upset with you, would you still be leaving her behind?”

“Yes. As hard as it will be to be away from her, I need to start putting her safety before my own feelings. As we were driving towards the hospital, I realized that bringing her with me was only putting her in more danger. I just don’t know if I can let her go. At least if she hates me, she won’t try to be a hero. The only way I can get through this, is if I know that she is safe. I need to start thinking with my head and not my heart.”

“You sure that’s what you’re thinking with?” Alex asked as she broke up their tender mother daughter moment.

“Shut up jerk”, Kara said with a playful smile.

“Oh, I’m just messing with you. You’re too pathetic to pick on.”

“So, will she talk to me again? Our last conversation didn’t go so well.”

“Not right now, Kar. She needs to cool off a bit. Give her some time. She is walking around with Sam. I think it will be good for her to get some of her hostility out with Sam before you try again.”

“Okay. I just feel so stupid.”

“You’re in love. People in love do colossally stupid things. Right Alex?” Eliza said with devilish smile.

“I have no idea what you mean, Mom. I never did anything stupid for love.”

“How about threatening to quit the agency if they posted you and Sam to different assignments. That was pretty crazy.”

Alex smiled and looked down at the ground.

“Okay, I’ll give you that. Just give her some time, Kar. She’ll come around.”

***

“Sam, I just feel so conflicted. You know I want to be in there holding her hand. I want to take away all of her pain, but I am just so damn angry.” Lena wrung her hands nervously as she and Sam walked around the perimeter of the warehouse, turned safe house.

“I get it, sweetie. Sometimes I get so mad at Alex I can’t look at her. It is usually when she takes an unnecessary risk and almost gets herself killed. I guess the more you love someone, the more they can break your heart.”

“Why didn’t she tell me, Sam? I thought we were getting so close. I told her everything. I was an open book.”

“Kara is a little broken emotionally. I mean, all of the Danvers women are a bit emotionally stunted, so it takes some work to train them to just be honest with their feelings and their fears. They withhold a lot, which is incredibly annoying. Kara has been through more horrible shit than any one person should have to bare.”

“Does she not trust me? I thought she trusted me.”

“She trusts you completely. She never would have brought you to our place if she didn’t. Say what you will about her relationship with Alex, but she and Alex love each other way too much to ever put each other in danger unnecessarily. Bringing you into our family took a great deal of trust on her part. I’m sure she was just afraid you would get upset and stop loving her.”

“I will never stop loving her. I’m furious that she didn’t tell me the truth from the very beginning, but I will never stop loving her. She has my heart and my soul.”

“And you have hers. She would do anything to love you and protect you. That much is clear. What she is doing here is not indicative of the Kara we have known during the last few years. She has been depressed, moody, reckless and angry. You make her smile so bright. She has been downright cheerful. I see her trying to make better decisions and I know that it’s all because of you.”

“I’m scared, Sam.”

“Of what?”

“That she is going to get herself killed protecting me.”

“She will be just fine. She’s kind of a badass. Don’t tell her I said that. These Danvers girls can get some real big heads. The badass runs in the Danvers family. Come on, she was shot twice and managed to make it to the car before she passed out. I would have fallen to the ground instantly. Any normal person would have been down for the count, but not Kara.”

“She said that she didn’t go after my brother seeking revenge. She said she did it to protect me.”

“Do you believe her?”

“I do. I could see it in her eyes. I’m sure she loathes him and my stepmother. She has every right to hate him for what he did, but I believe her when she says she was just trying to keep me safe. That has been her mission since we met.”

“So, do you think you can forgive her?”

“I don’t know. I guess maybe I will just need to remind myself that our love is new, intense, and Kara is not perfect.“

Sam let out a loud belly laugh.

“Ha! You can say that again. You must love her if you thought she was even close to perfect. She’s a total fucking mess.”

Lena looked over at the tent where Kara was laying in her hospital bed and smiled dreamily.

“Who am I kidding? She’s still perfect to me. She’s my total fucking mess.”

***

When Kara awoke early the next morning, she wasn’t sure what was happening. She felt the weight of someone’s body move onto her tiny hospital bed and someone’s warm breath against her cheek.

“Am I dreaming?” Kara whispered.

Lena moved a hand to Kara’s face and kissed her lips softly.

“You’re still in trouble for not telling me the truth. You are going to make this up to me by telling me every single excruciating detail of your life. I mean the super embarrassing stuff. I want to know the real juicy details from high school and all of the dumb stuff you’ve done for girls. Actually...maybe don’t tell me about the other girls. I’d be too jealous.”

Kara smiled and kissed Lena back passionately. A warm rush of relief washed over her entire body.

“I am so sorry, Lena. I love you so much. I will tell you everything. Every single detail. By the end of it, you might have to tell me to shut up.”

Lena moved closer to Kara and wrapped an arm around her waist. She nuzzled her face into Kara’s neck and closed her eyes.

“I’m just so glad that you’re okay, baby. I was so scared. There was so much blood. I knew how much I loved you before, but when you were laid out on my lap, bleeding and vulnerable...I just love you so much.”

Lena’s eyes filled with tears. She placed a hand on Kara’s chest and shook a little.

“I’m sorry I scared you. It looked worse than it was. Really, we were very lucky we escaped when we did.”

“I was so panicked, I didn’t really hear what happened when Alex tried to explain. Will you tell me?”

“Alex and I saw Lex and Eve at the hospital. He had a couple goons keeping an eye out. Alex said Lex’s name and he heard her from a couple hundred yards away. It was so weird. They headed back downstairs towards you and Sam. We had to go and find them before they got to you. We followed them into the stairwell and the goons heard us. They started firing.”

Kara could feel Lena shake. She pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

“We should have been with you”, Lena said, deeply distraught.

“You were exactly where you needed to be. I needed you as far away from the danger as possible.”

“I’m afraid to ask, but what happened next?”

“We chased them down the stairwell. We exchanged a lot of gunfire. I was hit a couple times and one of the goons came after us. Alex got into a close quarters fight with him. He stabbed her, but she got the upper hand and sent him tumbling down the stairs. We were both wounded badly enough that we had a hard time catching up, but I got one shot off and hit Lex.”

“Good. I hope he’s dead. Unfortunately, he is like a cockroach. God, I hate him for what he has done to our family name, but I truly despise him for hurting you. I can’t wait until you make him pay.”

“All that matters to me is that you are safe, baby.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. I was upset, but I was still scared to death. I hope you know that. Every part of me wanted to be here with you, but I was hurt.

“Of course I know that, baby. I’m sorry I upset you so much.”

“Alex was sweet and gave me constant updates. I think I owe her an apology. I was pretty rough on her.”

“She’s fine. She’s got a thick skin and she knows you were really angry at me.”

“This is all just a lot. I’m usually a lot more emotionally balanced. I’m sorry I reacted so badly.”

Kara’s face dropped and her eyes filled with tears. “Lena, I just want to take away all of your pain and fear. I just don’t know how.”

“Just be here. All I want is to hold onto you. That’s all that matters to me right now.”

“I’m not going anywhere, baby. I’m right here.”

Lena laid her head on Kara’s good shoulder and closed her eyes.

“By the way, I freaking love your Mom. You and Alex had me so scared to meet her, but she is so sweet.”

“Unless you’re a bad guy”, Kara said with a little chuckle. “She loves you too.”

“Did she say something?”

“She did. She said that she could see how much you love me, and that made her fall in love with you.”

“That is so sweet.”

“So, it’s time for me to start telling you all of my deepest darkest secrets.”

“Okay. I’m listening”, Lena said nervously.

“I kind of still call my mom ‘Mommy’. I know that probably makes you lose all respect for me.”

Lena popped her eyes open and grinned. She placed a hand on Kara’s cheek and kissed her lips tenderly.

“That might be the cutest and sweetest thing I have ever heard. You are so tough. I never would have guessed.”

Kara’s face fell. She looked worried. Her brow furrowed and her mouth fell to a little frown. She knew she had to tell Lena everything that was on her mind.

“Baby, you know I love you and I want nothing more than to have you by my side always.”

Now Lena’s face dropped.

“Yes. I know.”

“Things are getting more dangerous every day. Full disclosure. Nothing but the truth. Things could get really bad if we track your family down.”

“Please just tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m worried that I’m not enough to protect you.”

“But we have Alex and Sam too. You have always kept me safe. No one else in the world makes me feel safer than you do.”

“I’m scared that even the three of us aren’t enough, especially chasing after your family.”

“What are you saying? I don’t want that whore Bisset or the Marshals protecting me. You are the only person I trust.”

“Why do I love that you called Bisset a whore?”

“I don’t know, but she is.”

“Would you trust my mom?”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s worried too. She said that she will personally protect you. She can use her team to keep you safe until all of this is over. I trust her with my life and you are my life now.”

“You are my life too, baby”, Lena said sadly. “And where would you be?”

“I would be tracking your family down, and hopefully taking them out so they can’t hurt you anymore.”

Lena’s eyes filled with tears.

“No, Kara. No. I can’t. I can’t let you run into danger and not be there with you. What if something happens to you? I would die.”

“How do you think I feel? You are everything to me, Lena. I know we haven’t known each other long, but you have changed me. Even my mom says so. You’ve made me a better person in so many ways.”

“I don’t know how to breathe without you by my side. Even being away from you for a few hours today was excruciating.”

“You don’t have to decide now, and if you decide that you are staying with me, you know I will protect you with everything I am. Just think about it, please.”

“Kara, do you think I should stay with your mom?”

“All I know is that when I think about something happening to you, I don’t know how I could ever go on. I need to protect you with the best resources possible, and I think I have to admit to myself that I may not be the best.”

“You’re the best to me”, Lena said sadly. She buried her face in Kara’s neck and closed her eyes. Kara could feel the wetness of Lena’s tears against her neck and her heart broke. She knew what had to be done.

***

“So, it’s decided. Lena has agreed to stay with Mom”, Alex said with a sad smile.

The women sat around the table picking at their breakfast and planning their next steps. Kara’s left arm was bandaged, but she refused to wear a sling. The safe house doctor did his best to seal up her wounds and treat her pain, but Kara was too stubborn and too motivated to rest and recuperate.

Kara tried to put on a brave face, but everyone at the table could see the look of pain in her eyes. The mere thought of being separated from Lena was almost too much for her to bare.

Lena held onto Kara’s hand and rested her head against her shoulder.

“She will be just fine, baby”, Eliza said seeing the worry in Kara’s expression.

“I know. It doesn’t stop me from hating all of this.”

“The sooner we get on the road, the sooner we will get back here where we belong”, Alex said smiling at Sam.

Lena lifted her head from Kara’s shoulder and looked deep into Kara’s eyes.

“Baby, your mom is right. I know we both want to be together right now, but I will only be a distraction. You need to concentrate, and let’s face it, we distract each other”, Lena said with a little smile. “You will be so worried about keeping me safe, you won’t take care of yourself, and that is completely unacceptable. I hate this too, but I need you to come back home to me.”

“I know, baby. I promise we will take them down and end this once and for all”, Kara said caressing Lena’s fingertips with her own.

Sam turned to Alex and grabbed her hand.

“I wholeheartedly believe Lena should stay with your mom, but why am I staying?” Sam asked confused.

Eliza reached over and grabbed Sam’s hand.

“Samantha, you and Alex can’t go running into a firefight without considering the consequences. Whoever goes on this mission, or sanctions this mission for that matter, will probably be fired. You two need an income. Alex and Kara will go and when they come back, at least you will still have a job and health insurance when Alex is applying for jobs at Brinks or Burger King.”

“Hey!” Alex said playfully hurt.

“I’m just saying, we need to prepare to be publicly flogged for this.” Eliza grinned but no one in the room could read her.

“Is she joking or is she serious?” Lena asked confused.

“Both, neither, shit, I have no idea”, Kara said with a little laugh. “No one can read Mom. No one.”

“That’s what makes Mom such a good agent. She is an enigma wrapped in a paradox, wrapped in a crazy spy. She’s scary good.”

“Well, my loves, read this...I can’t help you. I mean, I am giving you the equipment you need and we will make sure that you have support if you find them, but I can’t be a part of this fight.”

Kara smiled at Eliza.

“I know, Mom. We just appreciate the help you are giving us now.”

“See Kar, aren’t you glad I called Mom?”

“Yes, but you’re still a jerk.”

“Thanks!”

The safe house was cold and sterile, but as the women sat around the table talking and bickering, Lena couldn’t help but feel the warmth and love of their unique family moment. It was a strange feeling to have, in light of the circumstances, but she enjoyed being part of something. She enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded by family, even if they were all deadly killing machines.

“We should go and get packed up”, Alex said with a somber tone. Alex leaned in and kissed Sam. Sam placed her hands on Alex’s cheeks and kissed her wife back tenderly.

“I don’t have to say this out loud, but I will say it anyway. I love you Alexandra Danvers.”

Alex grinned.

“I love you too Samantha Arias Danvers.”

Sam pressed her forehead to Alex’s and closed her eyes.

“I will never stop loving the sound of that.”

Kara stood up and stretched a hand out to Lena, who was still seated at the table. Lena took Kara’s hand and stood in front of the woman she now knew, beyond any reasonable doubt, was her soulmate.

“Walk with me”, Kara said.

Alex looked at her watch and cleared her throat nervously.

“Kar, we really should get on the road. There is no telling how far behind them we are.”

“Your guy and Cat are both keeping an eye out. I am sure Lex had to go somewhere and get patched up as well. Just give us five minutes. Please.”

Sam looked at Alex and rubbed her arm. Alex smiled and shook her head.

“Okay. I guess we could all use another minute.”

***

Kara and Lena found a quiet corner behind some boxes of equipment. Kara sat down and Lena stood between her legs holding onto her neck and kissing her head. Kara pressed her face against Lena’s chest and listened to the steady beating of her heart. She closed her eyes and fought hard to choke back her tears.

“Kara, I don’t want to let you go. I know I should be making this easier for you, but I can’t imagine what it will feel like to watch you leave.”

Kara lifted her head and looked up at Lena.

“You do not have to make this easier on me, Lena. I know you are suffering, and I swear, if I didn’t think this was the best thing for you, I would never leave your side.”

“Promise me you will be careful.”

“I promise. Alex will be with me. I will be just fine.”

Lena tensed and gave Kara a squeeze.

“The last time I trusted her to take care of you, she got you shot.”

“In all fairness, I was the one who got myself shot. It was really my fault. Alex always tries to be the voice of reason.”

“Just be careful, my love. Be careful, keep your head down, and come back to me.”

“I will. You promise me that you will do the same. The most important thing in the world is that you are protected. I know in my heart that my Mom and Sam will protect you with their lives, but you need to make sure to steer clear of danger as well. If anything happens, you keep your head down and let Mom, Sam and the other agents handle it.”

“They seem to be on the run. I’m not worried about my safety. I am only worried about yours. Well, yours and Alex’s. I really like her.”

“Well, there’s no accounting for taste”, Kara said with a playful chuckle.

Lena gave Kara a poke in the side and she winced in pain

“Oh God, I’m so sorry. I was just trying to give you a tickle.”

Kara grinned and caressed Lena’s cheek lovingly.

“It’s okay baby. I deserved that. Listen, I’d better go before Alex sends out a search party.”

“What are you going to do if you find them?”

“Easy. I’ll call Mom and Cat and let them know. I’ll let them fight over who brings them in.”

“So you won’t go after them?”

“No. We absolutely will not engage unless they fire on us.”

“Don’t give them a reason to, my lionheart.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Lena moved closer and sat on Kara’s lap. She wrapped her arms around Kara’s neck and kissed her with all of the passion and love in her heart.

***

Alex tossed the last bag into the SUV and walked around to join the others. Sam gave Kara a big hug and a kiss on the lips.

“You take care of my wife and bring her home safe.”

Kara smiled at Sam and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

“You know I will.”

Eliza walked up to her daughters and grimaced.

“What’s wrong Mommy?” Kara asked, accidentally slipping.

“Oh shit! You said it. See Lena? She puts on this hard ass exterior, but she’s just a big old softie.”

Kara grunted, but gave Lena a smile and a wink.

“Nothing is wrong, my heart. I just can’t believe I am sending both of my daughters on this crazy mission and I can’t go with you.”

“You have a career to protect”, Kara said seriously.

“I know, but if there was ever a mission where I belonged , it’s taking down the worst crime syndicate in the world with my two girls.”

“Maybe next time?” Alex said jokingly.

Eliza wrapped her arms around them both and held on tight.

“Alexandra, watch your sister.”

“I know Mom, I’ve been hearing the same instructions from you since I was six. I’ll take care of her. I promise.”

“Now go, before the three of us hop in that SUV and go with you”, Eliza said pushing them away.

Kara grabbed Lena and gave her one more intensely passionate kiss. She hopped in the passenger seat and gave Lena a sad smile. Sam grabbed Alex’s hand and gave it a squeeze. She kissed her cheek and opened the door for her. Alex climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door.

“You ready for this?” Alex asked Kara.

Kara closed her eyes and gave her sister a little nod.

Kara looked in the rear view mirror as Alex pulled out of the safe house. She watched Lena, Sam and Eliza wave goodbye. She knew that her love for Lena was crazy. They had only known each other a brief time and her feelings were probably fueled heavily by the intensity of their situation, but it didn’t matter. It didn’t matter how much she tried to convince herself that Lena’s feelings might be fleeting, her heart ached with a burning she had never felt before. All she wanted to do was go back to the safe house and wrap her arms around Lena, but she knew she had to stay strong.

“You okay, Kar?” Alex asked looking over at her sister.

“Do you think I’m crazy? I mean for falling in love with a Luthor?”

“Nope. If you had told me that you fell in love with her and I hadn’t met her, maybe, but Lena is amazing. I totally get it.”

“Is this a suicide mission?”

“Between you and me, yeah. We will do our best to try not to engage, but if our last encounter is any indication of what we can expect, we might be heading into a bloodbath.”

“I want to marry Lena. I want to marry her and wake up next to her every day for the rest of my life.”

“Marriage? I thought you said you would never marry after Charlie died.”

“I never thought I would want to. I never thought I would meet another woman who ever made me want to live. I’ve spent so much time not caring whether I died, it feels strange to want a life so badly.”

“I get it. Before I met Sammy, I didn’t think I would ever want to become domesticated, but now my favorite moments are when we make a quiet dinner and binge watch a show on TV. That and when we kill a bad guy on a mission.”

“You’re sick, but I love it.”

“Good. Hey, listen, I know you have been operating without a fear of death for a while and it has worked out well, but having someone to come home to, having someone to fight for, that will make this a successful mission. Just remember her face and it will keep you from doing the same stupid shit you usually do.”

“I promised Sam I would get you home safe. Don’t you go doing any stupid shit,”

“Who? Me? Never”, Alex said with a hearty chuckle.

Alex’s phone vibrated in the cup holder.

“Can you check that? It might be my contact.”

Kara grabbed Alex’s phone and read the text aloud.

“Text message from Gonzo. What the hell kind of name is that?”

Alex smiled.

“Located the Luthors. They stopped at a blackmarket surgeon’s place. He’s an old Russian. His nickname is “The Bitch” if you can believe it. He has a place a few clicks away from Tampere. Sending you the coordinates. He’s deep in the weeds and off the beaten path. Be careful, my friend. This guy is built like a shit brick house, heavily armed and quick to anger. Whatever you do, don’t use any guns. The guys loves explosives. One stray bullet could take the whole complex out. Take care.]]

“Gonzo? The Bitch? What the fuck are we getting ourselves into? Who are these people?” Kara asked.

“Gonzo is my tracker. He’s the best in the business. ‘The Bitch’, I’m not really sure. That’s quite the nickname for a big burley Russian dude.”

“So, I guess we’re going to find ‘The Bitch’. I’ll text mom and Cat.”

“Don’t give them a location. We need to ensure that nothing can be intercepted.”

“I won’t. The Luthors might be ahead of us, but who knows who is coming after us to try and get to Lena? Shit. I can’t believe I just left her there.”

“She’s safe, Kar. Just breathe. She’s with Mom and you know ‘Kali’ aka ‘Mommy’, will never let anything bad happen to her.”

Kara smiled and punched Alex’s shoulder.

“Hey! I’m driving, dummy!” Alex cried out.

“Are you ever going to stop making fun of me for calling her ‘Mommy’?”

“Never, Kar. It’s one of things I love about you the most. You can be a tough psycho when you want to be, but I’ll be damned if you are not the softest person I know.

“I miss her already, Alex.”

“I know. I miss Sam too. Listen, pull up your big girl pants, check your weapons and concentrate on the job at hand. Find the Luthors, fuck their shit up, and get back home so you can marry that girl of yours.”

“I thought we were only locating them?” Kara asked with a wink.

“Who am I kidding? We aren’t going all the way out to the middle of nowhere to ‘locate’ the Luthors. We are taking those assholes down. For Charlie and for Lena.”

“Thanks Alex. I mean it. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“Shut up and program those coordinates. I have a feeling we are going to need directions to find ‘The Bitch’. Jesus, that’s a sentence I never imagined saying in my lifetime.”

Kara and Alex both laughed heartily. They both knew it was important to appreciate these moments of levity while they could. They had worked jobs like this long enough to know that things were about to get very serious and very dangerous.


End file.
